United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and U.S. Air Force Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, arrived in Puerto Rico in September 2025 for an unexpected visit as the U.S. stepped up its military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean. Their arrival in the U.S. territory came more than a week after ships carrying hundreds of U.S. Marines deployed to Puerto Rico. Hegseth said in a video posted on X on September 8 that the deployed Marines were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.”
“Make no mistake about it, what you’re doing right now is not training. This is the real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interest of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people,” the defense secretary said while aboard the USS Iwo Jima.
Earlier in the day, Puerto Rico’s Gov. Jenniffer González said Hegseth and Caine visited on behalf of U.S. President Donald Trump’s administration to support those participating in the training. “We thank President Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic importance of Puerto Rico to U.S. national security and for their fight against drug cartels and the narco-dictator Nicolás Maduro,” González said.
Hegseth and Caine met with officials at the 156th Wing Muñiz Air National Guard Base in Carolina, a city just east of the capital of San Juan. González said Hegseth spoke to nearly 300 servicemembers at the base and thanked those he described as “American warriors” for their work. He later departed for the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima. “The American people are counting on you to ensure the American homeland is kept safe,” Hegseth told the Marines aboard the USS Iwo Jima. “Narco-terrorists and drug traffickers are on notice.”
The U.S. has deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for operations targeting drug cartels, according to The Associated Press (AP). Puerto Rico has an important role in the fight against drug trafficking as it represents a U.S. border in the Caribbean, González said, noting that the ongoing training of Marines involves logistics exercises and no ammunition. Siul López, a spokesman for Puerto Rico’s National Guard, told the AP that the Marines were practicing amphibious maneuvers with a variety of vehicles, adding that he did not know how many were on the island. González estimated more than 1,000 Marines were in Puerto Rico.
The U.S. Marine Corps issued a statement on August 31 noting that Marines and Sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit would conduct amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico. “The challenging terrain and tropical climate of Puerto Rico provides an ideal environment for the 22nd MEU to conduct realistic amphibious training and hone specialized skills such as patrolling, reconnaissance and survival techniques, ensuring a high level of readiness while forward deployed,” the Marine Corps said in a statement.