aircraft

There is a growing presence of U.S. special operations forces (SOF) assets in the Caribbean as the Trump administration prepares for possible kinetic actions against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. These SOF elements are part of a large buildup of U.S. military equipment and personnel in the region. You can catch up to our most recent coverage of Operation Southern Spear here.

Satellite images emerging online show at least five MC-130J Commando II multi-mission combat transport planes are now at Rafael Hernandez International Airport (RHIA) in Puerto Rico. The Commando IIs appear to have arrived on Dec. 17. There are at least nine Air Force Special Operations Command CV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft there as well, according to a recording of air traffic control conversations shared with The War Zone. The presence of the Ospreys was first reported by The Wall Street Journal.

U.S. Special Operations Command and Air Force Special Operations Command declined comment when we inquired about the deployment. U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees military operations in the region, also declined comment, citing operational security concerns.

The presence of these aircraft provides a drastic expansion of special operations aerial support capability for Operation Southern Spear. The CV-22s offer greater range and speed compared to their traditional rotary-wing counterparts. This allows them to penetrate deeper into contested territory without tanker support, which could prove highly beneficial for a country as large as Venezuela. They also get to where they are going faster and in any weather. This is especially important for combat search and rescue (CSAR) duties where every minute counts. Typically, USAF CV-22s execute special operations infiltration and exfiltration missions and CSAR.

The MC-130J is an extremely capable special operations transport and tanker, that can deliver cargo and personnel deep inside contested territory in any weather. They can do this by landing on rough fields or air dropping cargo and personnel. They commonly refuel CV-22s, HH-60s, MH-60s, and MH-47s, but can also provide refueling for other probe-equipped helicopters. Setting up forward arming and refueling points in austere areas is another mission they execute, along with providing communications support and other ancillary duties. It’s worth noting that the 160th Special Operations Air Regiment (SOAR), better known as the Night Stalkers, is also in the region, including aboard the special operations mothership MV Ocean Trader. MH-47s and MH-60s from the 160th would make use of the MH-130J’s refueling capabilities.

HC-130Js, which are more focused on CSAR operations, are also deployed to Puerto Rico along with a contingent of HH-60W Jolly Green CSAR helicopters.

Other special operations C-130s are also in the region, including the deployment to El Salvador of at least one AC-130 Ghostrider gunship. A video posted on Monday of the latest U.S. military strike on a suspected drug boat clearly shows it being raked by a Ghostrider’s gunfire.

Back in October, we suggested that the AC-130s were being used in at least some of the boat attacks, of which there have been more than two dozen, killing more than 100 people.

This looks like an AC-130J Ghostrider’s work. Two shots from the 30mm. We know AC-130 is deployed to PR.

Compare here: https://t.co/AtARMKHvGp

As we have discussed before, engaging small boats is something AC-130 crews train for & is an established mission set for the type. https://t.co/VIoNpHBYE3

— Tyler Rogoway (@Aviation_Intel) October 19, 2025

The strikes have generated a great deal of controversy, with claims they violate the rules of armed conflict and have been carried out without Congressional or judicial approval. The White House and Pentagon have pushed back on those claims. Earlier this month, Congress closed out investigations into the first of these attacks, on Sept. 2, which were called after it was revealed that survivors of the first strike were killed in a follow-on attack.

It’s also worth noting that there are other special operations aircraft surely in the region, such as U-28 Dracos and others. These are just the ones we see in relatively public places or areas where U.S. activity is already prevalent.

Back to military aircraft at Rafael Hernandez International Airport in Puerto Rico, the airport plays host to MQ-9 Reaper drones, images of which first began appearing online in September. MQ-9s been used in boat attacks as well.

🔎🇺🇸Reapers in the Caribbean
Unclassified satellite imagery reveals two MQ-9 Reaper drones at Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico (Aguadilla).

With a long endurance and advanced sensors, these assets are critical for counter-narcotics and maritime surveillance,… pic.twitter.com/MUq70nhxNC

— MT Anderson (@MT_Anderson) September 11, 2025

The airport has a long history of hosting U.S. military aviation assets. Originally opened up in 1936 as Borinquen Field and later was renamed as Ramey Air Force Base before being closed in 1973. During its time in operation, the base hosted a variety of bombers, including B-17s, B-24s, B-29s, B-50s, B-36s and B-52s, according to the Ramey Air Force Base Historical Association.

The U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Borinquen still operates from the airport. A compendium of satellite imagery dating back to early October shows a large-scale construction project at the airport. A big swath of land adjacent to the runway and next to the original military ramp has been cleared and there appears to be construction of new hangars or other structures. These additions are a strong indication that the U.S. military presence at the airport is growing and will be sustained for some time to come.

In addition to the special operations aircraft, online trackers show that C-17 Globemaster III cargo jets have landed in Puerto Rico from Lawson Army Airfield at Fort Benning, Georgia. That’s the home of the 75th Ranger Regiment, a special operations airborne unit used to seize airfields, among other operations. A spokesman for the regiment on Monday declined comment on these movements, referring us to SOUTHCOM, which has also declined comment.

Online trackers also showed flights to Puerto Rico from Fort Campbell in Kentucky and Fort Stewart in Georgia, The Wall Street Journal reported. The publication added “that military personnel and equipment were transported on planes” from those bases. SOUTHCOM declined to comment on those movements as well.

Meanwhile, as the Trump administration increases military pressure on Maduro, it is also continuing to take aim at Venezuelan oil shipments in an effort to squeeze him economically as well. As one of the world’s largest oil producers, Venezuela relies heavily on it. Since Trump enacted a blockade on sanctioned ships entering or leaving Venezuela, the U.S. has seized two and has pursued a third. Amid these actions, both China and Russia raised protests at the U.N. Security Council on Tuesday, calling the blockade and tanker seizures “cowboy behavior” and “intimidation.”

Russia’s UN Envoy Nebenzya:

For several months now, the entire world has had the opportunity to observe the way that the United States has been continuing to deliberately foment tensions around the friendly nation of Venezuela under the pretext of combating drug trafficking and… pic.twitter.com/bRLhwG6wmA

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 23, 2025

So far, U.S. kinetic actions in the Caribbean have been contained to the boat strikes. However, Trump issued a warning to Maduro on Monday after suggesting the Venezuelan leader should step down.

“He can do whatever he wants, it’s alright, whatever he wants to do,” Trump told reporters after unveiling his proposed Trump class battleships. “If he wants to do something, if he plays tough, it’ll be the last time he’s ever able to play tough.”

Regardless of the overt messaging, if anything ends up happening, it’s clear the Pentagon is planning for the special operations community to provide a disproportionate contribution to the overall operation.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

As military and economic pressure builds on Venezuelan dictator Nicholas Maduro, an E-3 Sentry Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft was tracked on FlightRadar24 flying close to the Venezuelan coast. To our knowledge, at least in recent days, these aircraft have not been present on flight tracking software in this increasingly high-activity area. And if they have popped-up, their presence has been impersistent at best. At the same time, E-3s are no stranger to this region though and have played a role in drug interdiction operations for years in this exact area.

While E-3s may have been present but not trackable over the Caribbean in recent days, this one being trackable is not a mistake. U.S. military aircraft executing easily trackable sorties very near Venezuelan airspace has been a key component of the pressure campaign placed on Maduro.

The reappearance of the E-3s is a relatively important development, as they would be key to any major kinetic operation against Venezuela. While the carrier-based E-2D Hawkeye, which have been a staple of operations in the area for weeks, is extremely capable, and in some ways more so than the E-3, they are not as well suited for providing airborne early warning, data-sharing and command and control functions for a large and diverse force beyond the carrier air wing. The E-3 also has a higher perch for its radar and passive sensors to take advantage of. It can also better integrate with USAF forces.

Now that one has reappeared publicly in the region, we will likely be seeing much more of them, especially once the contingent of F-35As from the Vermont Air National Guard arrives.

Meanwhile, other U.S. combat aircraft made their closest and most sustained publicly-known presence near the northern Venezuelan coast on Thursday. It’s worth mentioning that we do not know how close aircraft with transponders turned off have been getting, as we can only see the flights that are publicly trackable. These missions are part of Operation Southern Spear, a counter-narcotics mission that morphed into one aimed at Maduro and Venezuelan oil, the country’s main source of income.

The FlightRadar24 open source flight-tracking site showed a U.S. Navy F/A18E Super Hornet making repeated loops reportedly right on the outer edge of Venezuela’s northern airspace. In addition, two U.S. Navy E/A-18G Growler electronic warfare jets, two more Super Hornets, and an E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne early warning plane were tracked on FlightRadar24 flying close to the Venezuelan coast. There has been a notable uptick in such trackable flights recently.

Amid all this aerial activity, President Donald Trump today said he was open to notifying Congress before a direct attack on Venezuela. His comments to reporters at the White House today came a day after the House of Representatives shot down measures requiring the president to obtain prior permission for such an action.

“I wouldn’t mind telling them,” Trump said when asked if he would seek permission from lawmakers for land and boat attacks against Venezuela. He added that prior notification is not required. 

“I don’t have to tell them,” he posited. “It’s been proven, but I wouldn’t mind at all. I just hope they wouldn’t leak it. You know, people leak it. They are politicians, and they leak like a sieve, but I have no problem.”

BREAKING: Reporter: Will you be seeking any authorization from Congress for any land attacks on cartels in Venezuela?

Trump: I don’t have to tell them, but I would not mind it at all. I just hope they would not leak it. They are politicians, and they leak like a sieve. pic.twitter.com/UpFHPtt2vX

— World Source News (@Worldsource24) December 18, 2025

Trump’s views on Congressional authority have generated debate on Capitol Hill that broke down almost completely along party lines, with nearly all Republicans in agreement and Democrats opposed.

Under the 1973 War Powers Resolution, the Commander-In-Chief must notify Congress within 48 hours after “introducing United States Armed Forces into hostilities or into situations where imminent involvement is clearly indicated by the circumstances.” The Resolution also says any such actions are limited to 60 days without subsequent Congressional authorization, though the President can extend that timeline by 30 days with a written certification of the need for the continued use of force.

Donald Trump does NOT have the authority to carry out his current plans to use military force in the Caribbean without authorization from Congress.

If he acts without congressional authorization, the Senate will move a bipartisan resolution to prevent the unauthorized use of…

— Chuck Schumer (@SenSchumer) December 17, 2025

Trump, who ordered a blockade against sanctioned ships carrying oil to and from Venezuela, continues to assert that the U.S. has a right to that oil. On, Wednesday, Trump doubled down on his blockade warning, telling reporters that the U.S. is “not gonna let anybody go through that shouldn’t go through.”

Trump on Venezuela:

It’s a blockade, not gonna let anybody going through that shouldn’t be going through…

They took all of our oil… They illegally took it… We want it back.pic.twitter.com/viHn5G9us7

— Clash Report (@clashreport) December 17, 2025

The blockade announcement sparked a separate debate in Congress and elsewhere about its legality.

“American presidents have broad discretion to deploy U.S. forces abroad, but Trump’s asserted blockade marks a new test of presidential authority,” international law scholar Elena Chachko of U.C. Berkeley Law School told Reuters.

Meanwhile, Venezuela condemned the blockade and said it would take its case to the United Nations.

Venezuela has released a statement. Here is the English translation of both pages:

On the night of today, December 16, 2025, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, violating International Law, free trade, and freedom of navigation, has issued a reckless and serious… https://t.co/dS3e4Yib1X pic.twitter.com/Irf9ECnaux

— AZ Intel (@AZ_Intel_) December 17, 2025

Despite Trump’s pronouncement, several ships carrying oil byproducts from the South American country sailed from Venezuela’s east coast under escort from that country’s Navy “between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning,” The New York Times reported.

“The ships transporting urea, petroleum coke and other oil-based products from the Port of José were bound for Asian markets,” per that story, citing anonymous sources. “The Venezuelan government imposed the military escort in response to Mr. Trump’s threats.”

🇻🇪🇺🇸 Venezuela’s government has ordered its Navy to escort ships carrying petroleum products from port following Trump’s blockade announcement.

Several ships sailed from the country’s east coast with a naval escort between Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, according to… pic.twitter.com/xY9huYtMqa

— Status-6 (Military & Conflict News) (@Archer83Able) December 17, 2025

The blockade announcement came after the U.S. government had already seized one sanctioned oil tanker, the M/T Skipper. That mission, which occurred on December 10, was led by the U.S. Coast Guard with elements of the U.S. military providing support.

Today, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, Homeland Security Investigations, and the United States Coast Guard, with support from the Department of War, executed a seizure warrant for a crude oil tanker used to transport sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran. For multiple… pic.twitter.com/dNr0oAGl5x

— Attorney General Pamela Bondi (@AGPamBondi) December 10, 2025

In a social media post on Tuesday, Trump designated the Maduro regime as a foreign terror organization. That announcement and the blockade declaration were the latest moves in the Trump administration’s efforts to increase the range of actions it can take. The cartel Maduro allegedly leads was officially designated as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO) last month, a move Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said increases U.S. military options in the region.

To that end, the U.S. military, as we have frequently noted, has been building up a large military presence in the region.

At present, the Navy has at least 11 surface warships in the region, including the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier. It has four squadrons of F/A-18 Super Hornets, a squadron of E/A-18 Growler electronic warfare jets, a squadron of E-2D Advanced Hawkeye airborne command and control aircraft, MH-60S and MH-60R Seahawk helicopters and a detachment of C-2A Greyhound carrier onboard delivery planes.

There are also a number of other aircraft, including combat search and rescue (CSAR) aircraft, E/A-18G electronic warfare aircraft, Marine Corps F-35B and AV-8B Harrier II combat jets, and MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotors, MQ-9 Reaper drones, AC-130 Ghostrider gunships, and various helicopters already in the region. In addition, there is a looming deployment of an unspecified number of F-35A stealth fighters, which we were the first to report. 

The presence of aerial refueling tankers is also growing. KC-46 Pegasus tankers have been flying sorties out of the U.S. Virgin Islands for months, with a ramp-up in activity in recent weeks. There are now at least 10 KC-135 Stratotanker refuelers deployed to the Dominican Republic.

While these assets, along with about 15,000 deployed U.S. troops, are capable of limited sustained operations, it is far from the force that would be required for a land invasion or any large ground operation in Venezuela.

Since September, U.S. military operations in the Caribbean Sea, as well as the Eastern Pacific, have already included nearly two dozen strikes on boats allegedly involved in drug smuggling. The first of these strikes, which came on September 2, has become the focus of particular controversy, including allegations that it may have constituted a war crime.

The Sept. 2 incident has spurred numerous Congressional briefings, but on Wednesday, the Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, Mike Rogers, an Alabama Republican, said he was satisfied by testimony about that strike and that no further hearings would be held. It is unclear if there will be other Congressional action, though, since the Senate Armed Services Committee has also been investigating the matter.

The boat attacks continued on Wednesday, with another four suspected traffickers killed, bringing the total number of fatalities to about 100.

On Dec. 17, at the direction of @SecWar Pete Hegseth, Joint Task Force Southern Spear conducted a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organizations in international waters. Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was transiting along a known… pic.twitter.com/Yhu3LSOyea

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) December 18, 2025

Amid all this tension, Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva offered to serve as an intermediary between Trump and Maduro to “avoid armed conflict.”

Lula told reporters on Thursday that Brazil was “very worried” about the mounting crisis between Venezuela and the United States. He added that he told Trump that “things wouldn’t be resolved by shooting, that it was better to sit down around a table to find a solution.”

The Brazilian leader suggested that he may speak to Trump again before Christmas to reinforce this offer “so that we can have a diplomatic agreement and not a fratricidal war.”

“I am at the disposal of both Venezuela and the US to contribute to a peaceful solution on our continent.”

🇧🇷🇺🇸🇻🇪 | Lula da Silva: “Estoy pensando que, antes de Navidad, posiblemente tenga que conversar con el presidente Trump otra vez, para saber en que puede contribuir Brasil para que tengamos un acuerdo diplomático y no una guerra fraticida”

Lula se ofrece como mediador entre… pic.twitter.com/0k7gPEtbO5

— Alerta Mundial (@AlertaMundoNews) December 18, 2025

We’ve reached out to the White House to see if Trump might be amenable to having Lula, an influential leftest leader, as a go-between.

In the interim, the world continues to wait to see what the U.S. president will do with the forces he has amassed in the Caribbean.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com

India, now the sole operator of the Anglo-French SEPECAT Jaguar strike aircraft, is to acquire surplus examples of the Cold War-era jets from Oman, which retired the type in 2014. The decision reflects the continued value of the Jaguar to the Indian Air Force (IAF) but also points to the service’s shrinking fighter force and delays in acquiring new equipment.

Multiple reports indicate that India and Oman have come to a deal that will put an undisclosed number of former Omani Jaguars into Indian hands. Starting in 1977, the Royal Air Force of Oman (RAFO) received a total of 27 British-made Jaguars, comprising 20 single-seaters, five two-seaters, and two ex-U.K. Royal Air Force aircraft used as attrition replacements. At least 13 of these were involved in various accidents, which would leave a maximum of ‘intact’ airframes 14 for India. Potentially, some further components could also be harvested from Omani aircraft that were written off while in service.

As for the IAF, the service selected the Jaguar for its Deep Penetration Strike Aircraft (DPSA) in 1978 and received 18 aircraft from U.K. Royal Air Force stocks as ‘interim’ equipment, 40 ‘flyaway’ aircraft direct from British Aerospace (BAe), plus around 128 more that were license-built in India under a transfer-of-technology agreement with Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL).

The ex-Omani jets won’t be inducted into IAF service but will be broken down into spare parts to support the aging but still in-demand Indian Jaguar inventory. TWZ contributor and IAF historian Angad Singh told us that the jets will be dismantled in Oman and then shipped to India for ease of transport.

The IAF’s demand for increasingly hard-to-find Jaguar spares saw India turn to France in 2018–19. France, which retired its last Jaguars in 2005, shipped 31 complete airframes plus various spare parts to India, with New Delhi paying only for the cost of transport.

These airframes and spares are being used to support the IAF’s current six Jaguar squadrons, each of which has between 18 and 20 aircraft on strength. However, the fleet is being slowly eroded by attrition, with three Jaguar losses this year alone.

The last new Jaguar to be built in India came off the HAL production line in 2008; British and French production had long since ceased by this date. Since then, obtaining spare parts and components, including new or refurbished engines, has become much more complex. Already, India is reportedly having to cannibalize some aircraft to keep the others in the air.

Further evidence of the importance of the Jaguar to the IAF’s plans comes from the continued efforts to upgrade the jets, the oldest of which are now around 45 years old.

At the center of this effort is the Display Attack Ranging and Inertial Navigation (DARIN) modernization program for the Indian Jaguars, which first began in the 1980s and which has since progressed through three rounds of upgrades.

The first of these, DARIN I, kept the Jaguar’s original ‘chisel’ nose profile but added a new Sagem navigation/attack system, a combined map and electronic display, and a head-up display and weapon-aiming computer. A new Mil Std 1553B databus was added, making it easier to integrate new weapons and sensors. This would pay dividends during the 1999 Kargil War with Pakistan, during which Jaguars employed laser-guided bombs.

Starting in the early 2000s, DARIN II changed the nose profile, with a new Thales laser targeting and designation system fitted. Other new additions included an Israeli-made Elbit head-up display, an inertial navigation/GPS system, and a multifunction display in the cockpit. Self-protection was enhanced with an Israeli-made Elta EL/L-8222 jammer, locally made Tarang radar warning receivers, and new countermeasures dispensers. New weapons included the ASRAAM air-to-air missile and the Textron CBU-105 Sensor Fuzed Weapon.

In a category of their own are India’s Jaguars tasked with maritime strike. These were originally fitted with a radar nose accommodating an Agave radar, used in conjunction with Sea Eagle anti-ship missiles. Under DARIN II, these items were replaced with the Elta EL/M-2032 and the AGM-84 Harpoon Block II, respectively.

The most significant of the upgrades is DARIN III, begun in 2008, which includes a new active electronically scanned array (AESA) radar, the Israeli-made Elta EL/M-2052. The Jaguar became the first Indian combat jet to feature an AESA, and you can read more about the upgrade here.

The DARIN III program, led by HAL and informed by the Tejas Light Combat Aircraft program, saw the first flight of an upgraded Jaguar in 2012, but thereafter it suffered significant delays. Issues included integration of the locally developed open-system-architecture mission computer as well as a re-engining effort, which planned to replace the original Rolls-Royce Turbomeca Adour afterburning turbofans with Honeywell F125-INs. Replacement engines were finally canceled in 2019, after they were judged to be too expensive.

Other advanced DARIN III features include a fully ‘glass’ cockpit with three multifunction displays, an engine and flight instrument system (EFIS) digital display, and a digital head-up display. Also new is the Elbit Display and Sight Helmet (DASH), which is used to cue the ASRAAM missile. The ASRAAM, like the Magic 2 before it, is carried on the Jaguar’s unique overwing missile pylons.

The DARIN III program is planned to extend the life of at least some of the Indian Jaguars until 2050. However, the initial phase-out of the aircraft will begin before then. As Singh explained, the oldest (British-made) jets will not undergo the full upgrade, meaning that at least two of the IAF’s six Jaguar squadrons are due to disband in the near future.

Even the India-made HAL jets are now getting long in the tooth, but with examples still going through the DARIN III upgrade, at least some of them will be able to see out another 10 years or more of service.

“The Jaguar is still useful as a strike aircraft, and has been kept relevant with upgrades to electronic warfare, nav-attack systems, standoff weapons, and so on,” Singh told TWZ.

The fact that New Delhi has pressed on with upgrades to the Jaguar is a testament to the rugged reliability and precision-attack capabilities of the jet, despite its age, but it also points to underlying problems in the IAF, especially in terms of the size of its combat jet fleet.

Faced with the dual threats of Pakistan and China, the Indian government has said that the IAF needs at least 42 squadrons of combat aircraft. Currently, it has just 29, meaning the service is operating its smallest combat force since it went to war with China in 1962. The retirement of the veteran MiG-21 Fishbed has not helped matters in this regard.

Meanwhile, India’s plans to buy new off-the-shelf fighters are going nowhere fast.

After buying 36 Dassault Rafales, India announced a requirement for 114 fighters, initially specifying single-engine types. Subsequently, the competition appeared to be wide open, with the F-15EX, for example, now also being offered to India, and with the Rafale and the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet also in the running. If India decides to procure another single-engine fighter, after all, the Indian-specific F-21 configuration of the F-16 is also a viable candidate. But with no decision made, and with homegrown combat aircraft programs also proceeding slowly, the ‘squadron gap’ is only set to grow.

“The Indian Air Force is at 70 percent of its planned 42-squadron fighter strength — a number that was arrived at in the 1960s and will only be revised upward on any fresh assessment. Given this dire situation, the brass simply has no choice but to keep aircraft around, no matter how old,” Singh concluded.

Faced with this stark reality, it is less surprising that India is now searching far and wide for spare parts that will ensure its prozed Jaguars can see out their service life as maintaining them becomes ever more of a challenge.

Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com

The Pentagon is continuing to rapidly add military capabilities to Operation Southern Spear, a mission that began as a counter-narcotics effort but is increasingly aimed at Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. Images emerged online today of Combat Search and Rescue (CSAR) aircraft having arrived in Puerto Rico. In addition, KC-135 Stratotanker aerial refuelers are now flying missions out of the Dominican Republic. We also found that KC-46 Pegasus tankers have been flying sorties out of the U.S. Virgin Islands for months, with a major ramp-up in activity in recent weeks. This is all on top of yesterday’s arrival of EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets in Puerto Rico and the news we broke today that USAF F-35As are being sent to the Caribbean, as well.

Clearly, the Pentagon is moving into a posture in the region that is much better equipped for tactical air combat operations over hostile territory than it was just days ago.

Despite all this movement, White House spokesperson Karoline Leavitt told reporters Thursday afternoon that U.S. President Donald Trump does not want to see a protracted conflict in Venezuela.

“A prolonged war is something the president is not interested in,” she said, adding that Trump wants to “see the end of illegal drugs trafficked into the United States.”

On Thursday, Reuters published photos showing HC-130J Combat King II combat search and rescue (CSAR) planes and HH-60W Jolly Green Giant II CSAR helicopters on the ramp at Roosevelt Roads, the former U.S. Navy facility in Puerto Rico. These aircraft are stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia, though the helicopters reportedly arrived from deployment to Kadena Air Base in Japan.

A Reuters image from today (11 Dec) shows 3x USAF HC-130Js from Moody AFB on the ramp at Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico.

Credit: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters. pic.twitter.com/oAV7VEp9yn

— LatAmMilMovements (@LatAmMilMVMTs) December 11, 2025

The deployment of dedicated CSAR aircraft to the region is a sign that the Trump administration could be about to drastically increase its pressure on Maduro and go after the cartels inland with strikes. The aircraft are needed for rapid rescues of any aircrews that are lost during military operations, specifically over contested territory. While the Marine aviation force from USS Iwo Jima and its escorts are also capable of this mission, as are helicopters from the USS Gerald R. Ford, to varying degrees, the unique capabilities and the highly specialized crews the HC-130J and HH-60W bring to the table are prized. This is especially true now that USAF tactical airpower in the form of F-35As is about to arrive in-theater.

The Stratotankers arrived in the Dominican Republic sometime around Sunday or Monday, according to the @LatAmMilMovements X account, an open-source tracker who has been closely following these deployments. They are now taking up a good portion of an entire runway at the airport.

A Sentinel-2 pass from today (10 Dec) shows a total of six USAF KC-135s at Aeropuerto Internacional Las Américas (SDQ/MDSD) in the Dominican Republic.

From here, the tankers will continue to support E-3G and RC-135 missions in the Caribbean.

Work w/ @MikeRomeoAv. pic.twitter.com/tzJ8PNhqdD

— LatAmMilMovements (@LatAmMilMVMTs) December 10, 2025

Forward deploying the tankers reduces the amount of time needed to fly to the region and thus increases time on station and sortie rates. The presence of these jets in the Dominican Republic also represents a widening of the mission’s footprint, a U.S. official told us. The bulk of U.S. land-based operations are run out of Puerto Rico, and Roosevelt Roads in particular.

Noted parked up at Santo Domingo Airport ( SDQ ) in the Dominican Republic today, 6 Boeing KC135 refueling aircraft of the United States Air Force pic.twitter.com/U4bnLhhFIQ

— Michael Kelly (@Michaelkelly707) December 11, 2025

“This is an expansion of Southern Spear,” the U.S. official said of the Stratotanker presence in the Dominican Republic. “This is about capabilities and location. In case of any service support needed, you want to have that in a strategic area. The Dominican Republic is not too close, not too far and they have the capabilities to support a number of aircraft.”

The Dominican Republic presence, however, was not the first tankers operating forward in the region. They have been operating out of the U.S. Virgin Islands for months.

The KC-46s have been in the U.S. Virgin Islands since the middle of September, according to archived satellite imagery. This presence has grown steadily with now between five and six tankers being seen on the ramp there at any given time. The low-resolution satellite photo below was taken Dec. 9 and obtained by The War Zone via Planet Labs.

As the relatively sudden surge of assets to the Caribbean continues, the world waits to see what the Trump administration plans to do with all of it.

Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com