US Plans To Keep Troops In Caribbean Through 2028, Planning Docs Show
Department of War documents suggest the US military is planning to keep large numbers of troops in the Caribbean Sea for the next three years, The Intercept reported on Monday, in a further sign that a war on Venezuela is imminent. Defense Department contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept show the military has earmarked major increases in food supplies for almost all of its branches, including the US Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps.
The documents show the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) has been contracted to supply large amounts of baked goods, including wrapped honey buns, vanilla cupcakes, sweet rolls, hamburger rolls, and flour tortillas, to US troops in the "Puerto Rico Zone" from November of this year to November 2028.
The US military has already amassed 15,000 troops in the Caribbean in recent months, including 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which has more than 75 attack, surveillance, and support aircraft.
US President Donald Trump has paved the way for a possible invasion of oil-rich Venezuela by accusing Venezuelan President Nicholas Maduro and other officials in his government of leading a drug cartel known as Cartel de los Soles.
Trump has provided no evidence of Maduro’s involvement in drug trafficking, and there is little evidence that Cartel de los Soles exists. Despite this, the US president has authorized the US Air Force to carry out more than 20 strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean.
Rights groups have called the strikes, which have killed more than 80 civilians, extrajudicial executions that are illegal under US and international law. Trump has also sought to declare drug cartels as “terrorist” groups, in another step to justify future military action against Venezuela.
"The procurement’s length of time and the level of effort seemed to point to these operations continuing at the current level for several years," said Mark Cancian, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS)
"That’s significant because it means that the Navy will maintain a large presence in the Caribbean that is far larger than what it has been in recent years. It further implies that the Navy will be involved in these counter-drug operations," Cancian stated.
In addition to the Gerald Ford aircraft carrier, the US has deployed at least 13 warships, five support vessels, and a nuclear submarine to the region since August.
One DLA document lists multiple US naval vessels involved in the buildup of troops and ships as recipients, causing the quantities of food and costs listed in the contracting documents to surge.
"People will ask whether this means escalation from the strikes on smugglers into a Venezuelan campaign, whatever that eventually looks like," said a former US military official with significant experience in military logistics, procurement, and supply chains.
Other locations in Puerto Rico named in the DLA documents include Muniz Air National Guard Base, Fort Buchanan, a US Army installation near San Juan, and Roosevelt Roads Naval Base.
U.S. Marine Presence in Venezuela May Extend to 2028
— Washington Eye (@washington_EY) December 1, 2025
Reports suggest Washington’s long-term strategy goes beyond Maduro’s potential removal, with concerns shifting toward armed groups like ELN and FARC.#WashingtonEye pic.twitter.com/mKuVsZJGUQ
Last week, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced that the airstrikes against alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean and the Pacific are part of an operation named "Southern Spear."
The Department of War has reportedly presented Trump with various options for attacking Venezuela. Trump has also threatened future attacks on Venezuelan territory, authorized the CIA to conduct covert operations in Venezuela, and stated that he has not ruled out an invasion of Venezuela by US troops.
