The United States is deploying 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico as part of a stepped-up campaign against drug cartels operating in the Caribbean. The move, reported by Reuters, comes days after a U.S. airstrike destroyed a boat allegedly carrying narcotics from Venezuela, killing 11 people on board.
That strike, which the White House has defended as a necessary blow against cartel-linked groups such as Tren de Aragua, has drawn heavy scrutiny both in Washington and abroad. Still, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth has signaled that more operations of this kind are on the way.
The jets will join an already sizable U.S. presence in the region, which currently includes seven warships, a nuclear submarine, and thousands of Marines and sailors carrying out patrols and exercises. Officials say the F-35s will give the mission new surveillance and strike capabilities, helping track fast-moving cartel boats that are otherwise difficult to intercept.
Critics argue the campaign risks stretching U.S. military authority beyond its intended limits. Lawmakers are expected to press the administration on the legal basis for these strikes, especially given that no formal congressional approval has been granted. At the same time, Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro has accused Washington of using the cartel fight as cover for regime-change ambitions.
For the Pentagon, though, the strategy reflects a growing willingness to treat drug cartels as transnational threats requiring military responses. With the deployment now underway, Puerto Rico is set to become the hub for one of the most aggressive U.S. counter-narcotics efforts in years.