General Dan Caine supervises troops in Puerto Rico

On September 8, Secretary of the Army Pete Hegseth and General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited the island, highlighting Puerto Rico’s strategic importance for U.S. national security, as well as its role in combating drug cartels and the narco dictator Nicolás Maduro through the America First policy, which strengthens border security and fights illicit activities in the region.

By THE STAR STAFF

Gen. Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, is in Puerto Rico and on Monday toured one of the U.S. Navy warships stationed in the Caribbean as part of Washington’s anti-narcotics campaign, amid reports of mounting pressure on Venezuela.

This marks Caine’s second trip to the island since the start of Operation Southern Spear, a large-scale effort targeting drug trafficking in Caribbean waters that began in September. Caine is considered one of the architects of the operation, according to different media outlets.

According to a Pentagon statement, Caine will meet with U.S. Army personnel in Puerto Rico to “thank them for their outstanding support of regional missions” just days before Thanksgiving, one of the country’s major holidays. The Defense Department added that he will also visit sailors at sea to commend their “dedication and unwavering service” within U.S. Southern Command’s area of responsibility.

Alongside troop inspections, Caine is expected to review readiness levels of forces and equipment deployed to the region, according to The New York Times.

Experts describe the current buildup as the largest U.S. military presence in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis and naval blockade of 1962. Washington has deployed more than 10,000 troops to the area and positioned its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, near Venezuelan waters under the banner of its anti-drug mission. The operation also includes Marine units aboard amphibious ships and roughly 5,000 personnel at bases in Puerto Rico.

Caine’s visit coincides with the U.S. formally designating the Cartel of the Suns—a shadowy group allegedly tied to Venezuela’s military and government leadership—as a Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO). Washington accuses President Nicolás Maduro of leading the cartel, a claim Caracas denies.

The trip comes amid escalating tensions with Venezuela and reports that President Trump has authorized CIA plans for covert actions inside the country in preparation for future operations, according to sources cited by The New York Times.

Operation Southern Spear represents the most significant U.S. military mobilization in the Caribbean in decades, drawing comparisons to Cold War-era interventions. The militarization of U.S. counter-narcotics policy dates back to the late 1980s, when President George H.W. Bush declared the “War on Drugs” and authorized the Department of Defense to lead detection and monitoring of drug flows into the United States. This period saw the creation of Joint Task Force-6 and operations like Blast Furnace in Bolivia (1986), which marked the first major U.S. military anti-drug mission abroad

In the 1990s and early 2000s, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) continued to integrate military assets into drug interdiction efforts, though these missions were generally limited in scope. The current campaign, however, is unprecedented in scale: Southern Spear combines traditional naval forces with robotic and autonomous systems—a “hybrid fleet” designed to detect and disrupt trafficking networks across the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.

Experts note that this escalation echoes past U.S. strategies in Latin America, where anti-drug operations often served broader geopolitical aims. Today, critics argue that Southern Spear, while framed as a counternarcotics mission, also functions as a pressure tool against Venezuela’s government, reviving concerns about interventionism reminiscent of the Monroe Doctrine.

Washington has deployed more than 10,000 troops to the Caribbean, including 5,000 in Puerto Rico, and positioned its largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, near Venezuelan waters. The operation also includes Marine units aboard amphibious ships and advanced surveillance systems. Since September, U.S. forces have sunk about 20 suspected drug-laden vessels and killed more than 80 crew members, according to Pentagon reports.