A US Sikorsky UH-60 Black Hawk helicopter conducting maritime operations with a special tactics airman descending into the water. Photo: US Air National Guard/file photo.
By Misión Verdad – Sep 26, 2025
The most recent US military buildup in the Caribbean, ordered by Donald Trump, has evolved into a concentration of combat assets with strategic reach. Recent reports, such as that by Simplicius The Thinker, document the presence of Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, fifth-generation aircraft, drones, and a specialized covert operations vessel in addition to the reactivation of military installations in Puerto Rico.
These pieces form a strategy that transcends the initial narrative of “anti-drug operations” and is part of a scheme of sustained pressure on Venezuela.
The analysis suggests that the objective is not a full-scale invasion but rather an attempt to weaken Venezuela’s economic and political conditions through the militarization of a key space for its exports and naval communications. Added to this is a pattern of harassment in the Caribbean Sea, where civilian boats have been destroyed in operations presented as drug trafficking interventions.
This dynamic seeks to create a scenario of permanent tension that serves as a basis for justifying new attacks.
Trump’s military deployment in the Caribbean
US military movements in the Caribbean have created a scenario of strategic pressure on Venezuela. At least four Arleigh Burke-class destroyers have been transferred to the region in recent weeks, including the USS Stockdale (DDG-106). At the same time, a military base in Puerto Rico was reactivated, and Marine Corps units, surveillance drones, and state-of-the-art combat aircraft were deployed.
One of the most notable elements is the presence of the MV Ocean Trader, a covert special operations platform capable of launching drones, helicopters, and SEAL teams. Its arrival reinforces the hypothesis that Washington is preparing targeted incursions into Venezuela. Added to this are reports of the transfer of Patriot batteries from Qatar to the Caribbean, revealing a calculation of possible retaliation and confirming the offensive nature of the operation.
The New York Times acknowledged the strategic background of this deployment, noting the following:
“The 4,500-member force currently aboard eight warships is too small to invade Venezuela … The clandestine deployment of elite Special Operations forces suggests that commando attacks or raids inside Venezuela may be in the works.”
Along the same lines, Admiral James G. Stavridis, former head of US Southern Command, said the following:
“The massive naval flotilla off the coast of Venezuela and the transfer of fifth-generation F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico have little to do with drug interdiction; they represent operational overreach. Rather, they are a clear signal to Nicolás Maduro that this government is serious about achieving regime or behavioral change from Caracas. Gunboat diplomacy is back, and it might just work.”
October 19 as a scenario of internal destabilization
The most recent allegations by Diosdado Cabello, minister of the interior, justice, and peace, point to a plan spearheaded by María Corina Machado to unleash violent actions on October 19, the date of the canonization of José Gregorio Hernández and Carmen Rendiles. According to the information presented, the strategy would include the reactivation of so-called “comanditos,” the use of explosives and grenades, and even the incorporation of snipers, with the goal of generating casualties that would later be attributed to the government.
Cabello warned that according to his sources, Machado is acting with help from outside Venezuela and has sought political cover in institutions such as the Episcopal Conference. This scheme would involve orchestrating planned violence that could be projected as a national crisis.
In addition, it was reported that former presidential candidate Edmundo González had planned to visit a country near Venezuela during the date sin questions but that if the violence escalated, he would be transferred to Rome (Italy) to capitalize on the violence in the media. This would seek to provide international visibility to the unrest and legitimize the opposition among global audiences.
These revelations add to a series of foiled operations in recent months. Since August, several armed cells planning bomb attacks in Caracas and other parts of the country have been dismantled. These security operations seized a large arsenal in Miranda state, including sniper rifles, .50 caliber rifles, various types of ammunition, and grenades. A supply network was also dismantled in Monagas and Anzoátegui states, where 54,000 hollow charges, detonating cords, electric detonators, and telephones rigged to remotely activate explosives were found.
The investigations pointed to an operational pattern combining links to drug trafficking, the participation of foreign mercenaries—including an Albanian citizen and Trinidadian operatives—as well as logistical coordination with organizations in Colombia. Among the identified targets were high-traffic public areas in Caracas, electrical and oil facilities, and targets linked to the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB).
In this context, names like Iván Simonovis and María Corina Machado reappear as political leaders of the dismantled networks, while external actors linked to drug trafficking and paramilitaries have been identified as the decision-makers.
The clash between the US script and Venezuelan reality
The US offensive in the Caribbean, supported by covert operations and an unprecedented military deployment, seeks to force a response that would legitimize further aggressive actions. However, this plan faces significant obstacles within Venezuela. The institutional cohesion and defensive preparedness of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) have strengthened control of the territory as evidenced in maneuvers such as Operation Caribe Soberano 200 and the deployment of 15,000 troops on the border with Colombia under the so-called Zone of Peace No. 1.
Added to this is the neutralization of armed networks and conspiracies in various states of the country, which has prevented the consolidation of an internal destabilization front.
In contrast to previous episodes, such as the days following the July 28, 2024, elections, when opposition sectors attempted to generate chaos and a wave of protests with a certain level of organization, today there are no internal conditions conducive to escalation. The lack of operational networks such as the so-called “comanditos” and the absence of support within the FANB limit the possibility of articulating a sustained crisis that would complement the external siege.
The drug trafficking accusations against Venezuela are also weakened by evidence of national operations against this crime, with record seizures that reinforce the theory that the state is actively combating these networks. In this context, the “narco-state” narrative used as a justification for the attacks loses ground in the face of data that show the opposite.
In short, the US strategy combines military pressure, external threats, and attempts at internal destabilization. However, institutional strength, defense capacity, and the lack of objective conditions for an internal breakdown make it difficult for this plan to achieve its objectives.
Washington’s gamble runs afoul of a country that, despite threats, maintains political cohesion, territorial control, and preparedness to confront scenarios of aggression.
(Misión Verdad ) by Ana Perdigón with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/SL
Misión Verdad
Misión Verdad is a Venezuelan investigative journalism website with a socialist perspective in defense of the Bolivarian Revolution
