destroyer

WASHINGTON — The U.S. military has built up an unusually large force in the Caribbean Sea and the waters off the coast of Venezuela since this summer, when the Trump administration first began to shift assets to the region as part of its so-called war against narcoterrorism.

Here is a look at the ships, planes and troops in the region:

Ships

The Navy has eight warships in the region — three destroyers, three amphibious assault ships, a cruiser and a smaller littoral combat ship that’s designed for coastal waters.

The three amphibious assault ships make up an amphibious readiness group and carry an expeditionary unit of Marines. As a result, those ships also have on board a variety of Marine helicopters, Osprey tilt rotor aircraft and Harrier jets that have the capability of either transporting large numbers of Marines or striking targets on land and sea.

While officials have not offered specific numbers, destroyers and cruisers typically deploy with a missile loadout that contains Tomahawk cruise missiles — a missile that can strike hundreds of miles from its launch point.

A U.S. Navy submarine, the USS Newport News, also is operating in the broader area of South America and is capable of carrying and launching cruise missiles.

Planes and drones

A squadron of advanced U.S. Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II jets have been sent to an airstrip in Puerto Rico. The planes were first spotted landing on the island territory in mid-September.

MQ-9 Reaper Air Force drones, capable of flying long distances and carrying up to eight laser-guided missiles, also have been spotted operating out of Puerto Rico by commercial satellites and military watchers, as well as photojournalists, around the same time.

It has been widely reported that the Navy is operating P-8 Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft out of the region as well.

Earlier this month, the military released a photo of an U.S. Air Force AC-130J Ghostrider, a heavily armed plane capable of firing its large guns with precision onto ground targets, also sitting on the tarmac in Puerto Rico.

There have been a multitude of other military aircraft that have temporarily flown through the region as part of military operations there.

For example, the U.S. Air Force flew a group of B-52 Stratofortress bombers through the region last week for what the Pentagon dubbed as a “bomber attack demo” in photos online.

Troops

All told, there are more than 6,000 sailors and Marines that are now operating in the region based on the ships that have been confirmed by defense officials.

The Pentagon has not offered specific numbers on how many drones, aircraft or ground crew are in the region so their impact on that broader figure is unknown.

Toropin writes for the Associated Press.

The first Japanese warship destined to receive a Tomahawk cruise missile capability is now sailing to the United States for the required modifications. The Kongo class destroyer Chokai is at the forefront of Japan’s long-standing ambition to receive the long-range land attack cruise missiles, which it initially plans to field on its Aegis warships, although ground and submarine launch platforms could also follow in the future.

The Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) announced yesterday that the process of reworking Chokai for Tomahawk had begun. On September 26, the warship conducted missile-loading training, involving dummy Tomahawk rounds, supported by U.S. Navy personnel, at Yokosuka Base. The 90 “strike length” Mk 41 vertical launch system (VLS) cells on the Kongo class are already long enough to accommodate the Tomahawk.

“The training was conducted to familiarize the ship with the procedures required for Tomahawk operation and to confirm the safety management system,” the Japanese Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The following day, Chokai departed Yokosuka for San Diego, California, where modifications and crew training will be carried out. The process is due to be completed by mid-September of next year. Ahead of that milestone, the first Tomahawks are expected to be handed over to Japan before the end of March next year, and it is planned for the destroyer to conduct live-fire tests around summer 2026. These will verify the ship’s readiness and crew proficiency to carry out operational missions.

The Japanese Ministry of Defense describes the Tomahawk plan as a crash program to supplement its efforts to locally develop new standoff missiles. Once fielded, the Tomahawks will enhance “standoff defense capabilities in order to intercept and eliminate invading forces against Japan at a rapid pace and at long range.” The U.S.-made cruise missiles are planned to be delivered between Japan’s fiscal years 2025 and 2027, which run from April 1 to March 31.

The U.S. Navy began training the JMSDF on the Tomahawk missile launch system in March 2024.

Ultimately, the JMSDF will field the Tomahawk on all eight of its currently fielded Aegis destroyers. These comprise four Kongo class, two Atago class, and two Maya class — the latter are Japan’s latest in-service Aegis-capable destroyers.

The cruise missiles will also be used on the two Aegis System Equipped Vessels (ASEV) destroyers that are under construction. Lockheed Martin announced today that the first example of the advanced AN/SPY-7(V)1 radar system for the ASEV has begun testing at a shore-based facility in Moorestown, New Jersey. You can read more about its capabilities here.

Returning to the Tomahawk, the U.S. State Department approved the $2.35-billion sale to Japan of 400 of these missiles in November 2023, and a corresponding deal was struck in 2024. This will provide Japan with 200 Tomahawk Block IV and 200 Tomahawk Block V All-Up Rounds (AUR) and related equipment.

The deal came after years of talk that Japan would procure Tomahawks to give it a new long-range land-attack cruise missile capability.

The Tomahawk acquisition is a prime example of Japan’s changing military policy, including the fielding of what would previously have been considered ‘offensive’ weaponry.

This has been driven by growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, which have led to Japan increasing its counterstrike capability against potential threats, in particular those from China and North Korea.

The urgency of the situation has seen Japan accelerate its Tomahawk procurement, bringing it forward by one year, after it was originally planned to acquire the missiles in fiscal year 2026. Officials cited the “increasingly severe security environment around Japan” as the reason for this.

Already, the JMSDF’s Kongo class destroyers, like Chokai, are notably well-equipped, although they are primarily air and missile defense platforms. They are outfitted with powerful radar systems and an assortment of surface-to-air missiles, as well as anti-ship and anti-submarine weapons. The addition of Tomahawk missiles will make them much more well-rounded warships, with a very significant offensive capability.

The Block IV Tomahawk can strike targets at a range of almost 1,000 miles, carrying a 1,000-pound unitary warhead. It can be re-routed mid-flight and is also able to loiter over an area to hit ‘pop-up’ targets, using its imaging infrared seeker. Japan is also receiving the Block V Tomahawk, an improved version with survivability upgrades that can also be used to hit moving targets, especially in the long-range anti-shipping role.

Japan is now joining a select group of Tomahawk-operating countries outside the United States.

The United Kingdom’s Royal Navy uses Tomahawk missiles to arm its Astute class nuclear-powered attack submarines. It also plans to provide a Tomahawk capability on its forthcoming Type 26 and Type 31 frigates.

In December last year, Australia became the third country to launch a Tomahawk missile after the Royal Australian Navy’s (RAN) Hobart class destroyer HMAS Brisbane successfully test-fired the weapon for the first time, as you can read about here.

Since then, the Royal Netherlands Navy launched a Tomahawk for the first time, from one of its De Zeven Provinciën class frigates, HNLMS De Ruyter, off the coast of Norfolk, Virginia, in March of this year.

While Japan is procuring the Tomahawk as an interim weapon, it will almost certainly continue in service once the country fields its own long-range land-attack cruise missile capability. This is an area in which Japan has been active for some time now, starting with efforts to increase the range of its Type 12 anti-ship missile now in development.

At the same time, Japan is also acquiring air-launched cruise missiles for land-attack missions.

Overall, Japan’s forthcoming introduction of the Tomahawk and its longer-term ambition to field more domestically produced standoff missiles reflect the country’s changing defense posture — including procuring ‘offensive’ weapons that would previously have been off the table. With China flexing its military muscle in the region and North Korea expanding its missile arsenal, Japan’s focus on bolstering its long-range conventional deterrent options will surely continue.

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US military action against a Venezuelan boat sparks condemnation and troop deployments.

Venezuela has accused the United States of illegally boarding and occupying one of its fishing vessels in the country’s special economic zone, further escalating tensions between Caracas and Washington.

In a statement on Saturday, Venezuela’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the vessel, carrying nine “humble” and “harmless” fishermen, was intercepted by the US destroyer USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109) on Friday.

“The warship deployed 18 armed agents who boarded and occupied the small, harmless boat for eight hours,” the statement said, calling the incident a “direct provocation through the illegal use of excessive military means”.

The move follows a US military strike last week in the Caribbean that killed 11 Venezuelans and sank a boat that the administration of US President Donald Trump claimed, without evidence, had been transporting narcotics.

Venezuela has rejected these claims, with Minister of the Popular Power for Interior Diosdado Cabello insisting none of those killed was a member of the Tren de Aragua gang, as alleged by Washington.

“They openly confessed to killing 11 people,” Cabello said on state television. “Our investigations show the victims were not drug traffickers. A murder has been committed against a group of citizens using lethal force.”

The White House defended the strike, with spokeswoman Anna Kelly calling the victims “evil Tren de Aragua narcoterrorists” and saying that Nicolas Maduro is “not the legitimate president of Venezuela” and is a “fugitive.”

Several countries deny Maduro’s legitimacy as a democratically elected leader due to what some have viewed as unfair elections, but the Trump administration has not provided evidence linking the Venezuelan president to Tren de Aragua. US intelligence agencies have said there is no sign of coordination between the government and traffickers.

Pentagon officials did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

Venezuelan President Maduro announced the deployment of troops, police and civilian militias across 284 “battlefront” locations, reinforcing previous troop increases along the Colombian border.

Speaking from Ciudad Caribia, Maduro signalled Venezuela’s readiness to defend its water, saying: “We’re ready for an armed fight, if it’s necessary.”

The US has also expanded its military presence in the southern Caribbean, sending warships and deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico.

Last month, Washington doubled its reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to $50m, citing alleged drug trafficking and criminal ties, a claim Venezuela denies, asserting it is not a drug-producing country.