The United States has deployed 5,000 troops to Puerto Rico as part of a 15,000-strong Caribbean military buildup, marking the largest American military presence in the region in decades and the reopening of a naval base shuttered for more than 20 years.
December Amphibious Landings
US troops and equipment came ashore in Puerto Rico on December 5-6, 2025, with landing craft unloading vehicles and supplies onto beaches at Arroyo and Ponce. The troops arrived from a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dockstationed offshore as part of ongoing Caribbean operations.
Operations began between 7:30 and 8:00 a.m., with service members using Navy landing craft to transport amphibious vehicles, Humvees, heavy equipment, and supplies onto El Faro beach in Arroyo. Soldiers were seen unloading gear and organizing equipment for movement to military installations across the island.
Roosevelt Roads Reopens After 21 Years
The deployment centers on Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, which became operational again in September 2025 after closing in 2004. The base now hosts F-35B stealth fighters, Marine Corps helicopters, and heavy transport aircraft operating from its 11,000-foot runway.
Satellite imagery and photographs from mid-September show F-35B fighters, MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft, and CH-53K King Stallion helicopters operating from Roosevelt Roads. Construction crews have been upgrading facilities to support the expanded military presence.
The facility sits approximately 500 miles from Venezuela’s coast, placing it in a strategic position for Caribbean operations.
Scale of the Buildup
The 5,000 troops stationed in Puerto Rico are part of a broader deployment of nearly 15,000 US personnel sent to the Caribbean region. The military buildup includes:
- The USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group, the Navy’s largest and most advanced aircraft carrier
- More than a dozen warships, including destroyers, cruisers, and amphibious vessels
- F-35 fighter jets, naval destroyers, and combat helicopters
- Over 10% of all deployed US naval assets now operating in US Southern Command’s area of responsibility
General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Puerto Rico in November 2025 to assess the readiness of deployed forces and meet with soldiers and senior officers from Southern Command.
Mission and Strategic Context
Officials describe the deployment as part of counter-narcotics operations linked to Operation Southern Spear, which has included strikes on alleged drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean. The Trump administration has characterized the mission as combating drug cartels and applying pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Troops arriving in December are expected to be stationed at Camp Santiago in Salinas, where large-scale military exercises are underway. Additional forces operate from installations in Aguadilla and the reopened Roosevelt Roads facility in Ceiba.
The US Federal Aviation Administration issued a preemptive advisory for all airspace over Puerto Rico, warning of a “potentially hazardous situation” related to increased military operations in the area. The alert is in effect from November 18, 2025, to February 16, 2026.
Historical Context
The militarization of Puerto Rico has reopened historical wounds tied to the 60 years Vieques served as a training camp and artillery range. The US Navy withdrew from Vieques in 2003 following massive protests after a civilian was killed by an errant bomb in 1999. Roosevelt Roads closed shortly after in 2004.
The current deployment marks the first time since that 2004 closure that the United States has maintained such a substantial military presence in Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico’s governor, Jenniffer González, has supported the militarization, thanking President Trump for “recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States.”
However, the deployment has also drawn protests. In the streets of Puerto Rico, demonstrations have taken place with signs demanding: “Gringos out of the Caribbean!”
