US troops pictured training in dense forest as Venezuela invasion fears grow – Politics – News
New footage shows Marines training at a forestry compound in Puerto Rico amid fears of an imminent US invasion of Venezuela.
The 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit has posted a series of photos depicting late September training operations on its Facebook page in recent weeks.
Most show exercises in a dense forest in Puerto Rico, near Camp Santiago – a base owned and operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard. This comes after an expert claimed Trump was creating a huge national security risk with his “absurd” Venezuela move.
Others feature videos of training operations, including one showing Marines loading and firing mortars into an empty field near the tree line.
Still others showed Marines rappelling from helicopters, storming beaches in hovercraft from Navy ships or operating tanks on beaches and fields. Some can be seen making their way through the forest, cutting through brush as they head towards the exercise mission targets.
Each post details what the images or videos show, as well as where each exercise is performed. Most are labeled Puerto Rico, while others are labeled Caribbean Sea.
“US military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the mission of the United States Southern Command, War Department-led operations, and the President’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland,” they read. There are dozens of them.
Part of the troops’ mission is to “beautify” the Cold War-era naval base, designed to contain Cuba and the threat of a Red Scare in the Caribbean.
DON’T MISS…
“Marines from Combat Logistics Battalion 26 and Battalion Landing Team 3/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), conduct engineering operations improving Camp Santiago base facilities and beautification of Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico, Sept. 23, 2025,” one of the messages read.
It is pertinent to note that Puerto Rico’s lush jungle closely mirrors that of Venezuela, located approximately 550 miles to the south. Military analysts told the Daily Mail that these similarities are no coincidence.
“The United States is trying to make sure it has sufficient infrastructure to respond to whatever the president might order,” Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral who spent time in Puerto Rico in the 1980s, told the Mail.
Donald Trump has stepped up his rhetoric against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, even hinting that he would try to overthrow the country’s authoritarian regime.
On Sunday, the president was asked if the Venezuelan strongman’s days were numbered. He said, “I think so, yeah.”
That’s where Puerto Rico comes in: It’s in a strategic location in case Trump decides to launch an invasion of the South American country.
“If the president wants an aggressive air campaign, or the prepositioning of air elements to use against Maduro, he will need to have as many forward airports and operational logistics sites as possible,” Montgomery added.
