US Defense Officials Visit Puerto Rico Amid Expanded Military Operations Against Drug Cartels

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday as Washington intensifies its military campaign against drug cartels in the Caribbean.

The high-profile visit follows the recent arrival of hundreds of US Marines on the island for a training exercise that has drawn both support and protests. Puerto Rico Governor Jenniffer González welcomed the officials, praising President Donald Trump’s administration for “recognizing the strategic importance of Puerto Rico to US national security and for their fight against drug cartels and the narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro.”

Hegseth and Caine met with troops at the 156th Wing Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, east of San Juan, where the defense secretary addressed nearly 300 soldiers, calling them “American warriors” and thanking them for their service.

The visit comes ahead of a planned deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for operations targeting criminal networks, according to a source familiar with the plans. The move underscores the growing US military presence in the region, a strategy that gained attention earlier this month when Trump announced a strike on a suspected Venezuelan drug vessel. The operation, which killed 11 people, was one of the rare US military actions in the Caribbean.

Reactions in the region have been mixed. While the prime minister of Trinidad and Tobago backed the strike, other Caribbean leaders urged greater communication. Barbados Foreign Minister Kerrie Symmonds said Caricom members had written to US Secretary of State Marco Rubio seeking assurances that they would not be caught off guard by future operations.

Venezuela has pushed back strongly, accusing Washington of fabricating claims about its role in the drug trade. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez argued the US should focus on the Pacific, where cocaine trafficking routes are well established. She also accused the Trump administration of using drug enforcement as a pretext for political intervention.

On the ground in Puerto Rico, the military buildup has stirred controversy. Dozens of protesters gathered outside the National Guard base in Carolina on Sunday, holding signs reading “No to War” and “No to military bases in P.R.” Activists warned against the use of the island as a staging ground for wider regional conflicts. “We denounce the existence of military bases in Puerto Rico,” said Sonia Santiago Hernández, founder of Mothers Against War.

The protests recall earlier opposition to US military activities, including the 1999 death of civilian David Sanes Rodríguez during Navy training exercises in Vieques, which fueled a movement that eventually pushed the military off the island.

Puerto Rican officials, however, have defended the current operations. National Guard spokesman Siul López stressed that the Marines’ training exercises, which began on August 31, were pre-planned and not directly tied to the Caribbean naval deployment. The Marine Corps said the island’s climate and terrain provide an ideal environment for amphibious training and survival exercises.

It remains unclear how long Hegseth and Caine will stay in Puerto Rico or whether they will visit additional sites.