President Donald Trump announced Thursday that the United States will soon conduct strikes against narcotics shipments traveling from Venezuela via land routes, as the DoD continues a rapid expansion of combat aircraft and support assets across the Caribbean.

“They’ve treated us badly, and I guess now we’re not treating them so good,” Trump told reporters at the White House. “If you look at the drug traffic—drug traffic by sea is down 92 percent, and nobody can figure out who the 8 percent is. We’ll start that on land, too. It’s going to be starting on land pretty soon.”

The president offered no specifics on timing or targets. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt later clarified that Trump does not seek extended hostilities with the South American nation. “A prolonged war is something the president is not interested in,” she said, adding that the administration’s goal is “to see the end of illegal drugs trafficked into the United States.”

🚨 BREAKING: Massive FAFO is about to play out – President Trump confirms LAND STRIKES are starting soon against narco-terrorists

“Drug traffic by sea is down 92%…we’ll start on land too! It’s gonna be starting on land pretty soon!” 🔥 pic.twitter.com/wQOpMvP315

— RightLine (@RightLineNews) December 12, 2025

The announcements came a day before Adm. Alvin Holsey relinquished command of U.S. Southern Command during a ceremony Friday at the headquarters in Doral, Florida. Holsey, a 37-year Navy veteran, stepped down after announcing his early retirement in October, cutting short what is typically a three-year assignment leading the combatant command responsible for military operations in Central and South America.

During Friday’s ceremony, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine presented Holsey with the Defense Distinguished Service Medal, with a citation bearing Hegseth’s signature.

The verbal posturing comes as F-35A Lightning II stealth fighters from the Vermont Air National Guard’s 158th Fighter Wing received federal mobilization orders for deployment to the Caribbean, a U.S. official confirmed to The War Zone. 

Lt. Col. Meghan Smith also confirmed the mobilization to Vermont Public on Wednesday. “While we cannot discuss specific timelines or locations, our airmen train continuously to ensure they are prepared to support federal and state missions when and where they are needed,” she said.

The F-35A can employ 2,000-pound guided munitions and operates at greater range than the Marine Corps F-35B variants currently in Puerto Rico, providing expanded strike capability for sustained air operations.

Heavy airlift operations have intensified in parallel, with the military buildup in the Caribbean at so-far unseen levels. 

A C-5M Super Galaxy strategic heavy-lift aircraft from the 709th Airlift Squadron, 512th Airlift Wing, was spotted landing and unloading Friday at Roosevelt Roads for the second time in the last three days. 

Observers tracking military air traffic report C-17 Globemaster III and C-5 transports now arrive at Roosevelt Roads on a near-daily basis.

A C-5M “Super Galaxy” Strategic Heavy-Lift Aircraft with the U.S. Air Force’s 709th Airlift Squadron, 512th Airlift Wing, spotted landing and unloading earlier today at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Eastern Puerto Rico, following its second flight in the last three days from… pic.twitter.com/R5XN4aWjuC

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 11, 2025

Among the cargo delivered by those transports: dedicated combat search-and-rescue assets.

Reuters published photographs Thursday showing HC-130J Combat King II fixed-wing aircraft and HH-60W Jolly Green Giant II helicopters on the Roosevelt Roads ramp.

A C-17A, callsign RCH575, delivered the HH-60W helicopters, which are normally stationed at Moody Air Force Base in Georgia but reportedly arrived from a deployment at Kadena Air Base in Japan.

RCH575’s cargo was USAF HH-60Ws from Kadena Air Base in Japan.

Credit: Ricardo Arduengo/Reuters. https://t.co/sZKrr5fW9L pic.twitter.com/58ibWbFbzr

— LatAmMilMovements (@LatAmMilMVMTs) December 11, 2025

Analysts believe CSAR deployment signals potential air operations over contested Venezuelan territory, as these specialized rescue platforms are essential for recovering downed aircrews during combat missions.

Electronic warfare capabilities have also recently been spotted. SOFX recently reported EA-18G Growler electronic attack aircraft were seen at Roosevelt Roads, according to Reuters photographs circulating online. 

U.S. Navy EA-18G “Growler” Electronic Warfare Aircraft, likely with the “Scorpions” of Electromagnetic Attack Squadron 132 (VAQ-132), spotted on the tarmac at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Eastern Puerto Rico, after crossing the United States and arriving last night from Naval… pic.twitter.com/GMIX6yTfhq

— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) December 10, 2025

The jets are believed to belong to Electronic Attack Squadron 132, the “Scorpions,” based at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island in Washington. The Growler specializes in disrupting enemy radar, communications, and air defense systems, a capability more suited to contested electromagnetic environments than routine surveillance or counter-drug missions.

With Trump’s explicit warning that land-based strikes will begin “pretty soon,” the assets now staged across Puerto Rico, the Dominican Republic, and the U.S. Virgin Islands suggest the administration is prepared to act on that promise.