Hegseth Makes Dramatic Visit To US Carrier Off Venezuela, Tells Marines It’s ‘Not Training Exercise’

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials made an unannounced visit to US Marines stationed in the Caribbean as well as to Puerto Rico on Monday. The military build-up to to target Venezuelan cartels allegedly threatening America’s borders by moving their product.

Upon a first somewhat dramatic stop and arrival by Osprey aircraft to the USS Iwo Jima warship, Hegseth told US Marines in waters off Puerto Rico that their deployment was “not training” – which is a clear sign the Trump White House intends to keep up its escalatory force posture aimed at Maduro’s Venezuela.

BREAKING: Secretary of WAR Pete Hegseth has just arrived in Puerto Rico, where President Trump has deployed fighter jets to take on Venezuelan cartels

This was an unannounced trip.

Cartels are about to learn why our defense budget is closing in on $1 trillion pic.twitter.com/uh8WImtbEo

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) September 8, 2025

“What you’re doing right now is not training; this is a real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people,” Trump’s defense chief said.

The Pentagon is reportedly mulling using Puerto Rico as its central hub to wage war against Latin American cartels, at a moment the US has put a $50 million bounty on President Maduro’s head – signaling the pursuit of regime change. 

Governor of Puerto Rico Jennifer Gonzalez welcomed Hegseth’s presence, showing a willingness to host American troops amid the Venezuela operations, while denouncing Maduro as a “narco-dictator”.

“We thank [President Donald] Trump and his Administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro,” she wrote on social media.

The Iwo Jima is currently stationed about 30 miles south of Puerto Rico…

Along with the carrier deployment, the US has at least three guided missile destroyers in the Caribbean, ten F-35s, and thousands of US Marines. There are also reports of a US attack submarine operating at locations unknown off Venezuela.

Tensions are soaring after last week the US attacked an alleged drug-smuggling boat, killing all eleven on board – and reportedly with no warning or attempt to intercept it. Maduro has put his own forces on alert, particularly on the coast and in border areas, and has sent F-16s to buzz US warships, though Trump has threatened to shoot them down.