A U.S. defense official has confirmed to TWZ that two Venezuelan F-16s flew near a U.S. Navy vessel earlier today. A statement from the Pentagon says the ship was in “international waters” and warned the South American nation from taking “any further action to obscure, deter or interfere with” the U.S. military’s counter-narcotics efforts in the region. This move comes just two days after U.S. authorities announced that American forces had killed 11 suspected drug smugglers in a boat transiting the South Caribbean.
The Pentagon’s announcement about the encounter otherwise provided no additional details. CBS News was first to report on the incident, citing “multiple Defense Department officials,” and described it as a “show of force” involving two armed Venezuelan F-16s. The outlet also named the U.S. Navy ship as the Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Jason Dunham. The Associated Press also subsequently reported the involvement of some of Venezuela’s fleet of F-16A/B jets, which it first received from the United States in the 1980s, and the USS Jason Dunham.
The Dunham is one of at least eight warships the Trump administration previously dispatched toward Venezuela as part of an effort to target criminal organizations and narco-terrorism in the region.
Though aimed at groups considered narco-terrorist organizations, an official with direct knowledge of these operations told TWZ last week that they are also aimed at Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. He was indicted in a New York federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency. He and 14 others, including several close allies, were hit with federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy with the Colombian FARC insurgent group to import cocaine. The U.S. government has issued a $50 million reward for Maduro’s capture.
This is a developing story.
Update: 9:22 AM Eastern Sept. 5-
“The interaction was highly provocative, and clearly a show of force,” a U.S. official told The War Zone Friday morning about the two Venezuelan F-16s that flew near the Dunham.
In the latest move to bolster a growing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, the Trump administration has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 Joint Strike Fighters to Puerto Rico, Reuters reported, citing two unnamed sources. The deployment is “to conduct operations against drug cartels,” the outlet added.
The jets are expected to arrive next week. It is unclear at the moment where they are coming from or what they will do when they arrive.
The F-35s will join an armada of at least eight warships and other surveillance and strike assets in the region.
Update: 12:30 PM Eastern Sept 5-
An official confirmed to us that 10 F-35s are deploying to Puerto Rico to take part in the counter-narcotics operation. You can read about that here.
Contact the author: howard@thewarzone.com