Secretary of War Pete Hegseth and senior Pentagon officials made an unannounced visit to Puerto Rico on Monday. The Department of War has deployed a significant military force to the Caribbean as it prepares for more strikes against alleged Venezuelan cartels. 

Governor of Puerto Rico Jennifer Gonzalez praised Hegseth for recognizing the American colony’s military value. “Honored to welcome Secretary of War Pete Hegseth along with General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff to Puerto Rico,” she wrote on X. 

Honored to welcome Secretary of War Pete Hegseth (@SecWar) along with General Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff (@thejointstaff) to Puerto Rico.

We thank @POTUS Trump and his Administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national… pic.twitter.com/vlrDK6Y5Oy

— Jenniffer González (@Jenniffer) September 8, 2025

The post continued, “We thank [President Donald] Trump and his Administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro.”

According to the Washington Post, the Department of War is weighing using Puerto Rico as its central hub to wage war against Latin American cartels.  

Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro has been targeted by the Trump administration. The State Department has placed a $50 million bounty on the Venezuelan leader. Additionally, Secretary of State and National Security Adviser Marco Rubio has designated an alleged Venezuelan cartel on the list of terrorist organizations, and claims Maduro is the head of the criminal network. 

Trump has given the Department of War to take action against designated narco-terror organizations. Last week, the US killed 11 people in a boat near Venezuela, claiming it was smuggling drugs. 

While Trump has said regime change in Caracas is not the goal, a number of top officials have said Washington wants to remove Maduro from power. The US has deployed thousands of Marines, ten F-35s, three guided missile destroyers, and an attack submarine to the Caribbean.