Name: U.S. revives Puerto Rico naval base amid Venezuela tensions
Uploaded: 2025-11-19T18:10:06.273Z
Duration: 2 min 40 s
Description: The US has quietly reactivated its long-abandoned Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico. Upgrades suggest preparations for sustained operations that could support a possible confrontation with Venezuela.

The US has quietly reactivated its long-abandoned Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico. Upgrades suggest preparations for sustained operations that could support a possible confrontation with Venezuela.

Washington

The United States has reopened the Roosevelt Roads naval base in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, for the first time since 2004, deploying dozens of F-35 fighter jets and upgrading military infrastructure. This action is part of a broader U.S. strategy to increase pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, with the base serving as a key strategic point in the Caribbean.

Local residents and officials have expressed mixed reactions, noting both economic benefits and concerns about increased noise and the potential risks of military confrontation. The arrival of the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier in the region and the ongoing Operation Southern Spear have fueled debate over the U.S. military's objectives, with some critics suggesting aims beyond drug trafficking, including possible regime change in Venezuela.

U.S. revives Puerto Rico naval base amid Venezuela tensions

For years, these were the only planes that residents of Ceiba in northeastern Puerto Rico ever saw around this area. A mural on the wall outside a local sports bar. That changed when the Pentagon decided to send dozens of F-35 fighter jets that you can see here right behind me that are operating on a daily basis from a naval base, one of several bases that the U.S. has here in Puerto Rico, a strategic point for the White House's efforts to increase pressure on Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. And it's not just planes arriving at Roosevelt Road's naval base reopening for the first time since 2004. Crews have been upgrading taxiways and setting up tents. Communications gear and a mobile air traffic control tower have also been set up. This footage from a Reuters investigation shows. The sense of a military build-up is palpable in this town. This base brought a lot of advantages. We want the military movement because they're here to defend us. Whoever comes to throw bombs at us, they're here to defend us. The noise might be a problem now because there were years without the military base. But people get used to them, especially in this town. The base brings jobs. When the first jets arrived in September, there was concern about the base's location, the mayor of Ceiba told us. Having this naval base here means there was already military presence here. But when these planes first arrived, there was concern among residents of our town, since we know that these planes have specific missions. He dismissed concerns the base creates an additional risk in case of a direct military confrontation. We are already in the spotlight because we are a U.S. territory, but having them here puts us at ease because U.S. technology is very advanced. Further south, the world's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald Ford, arrives in the Caribbean with dozens of warplanes on board. Critics argue that the goal of Operation Southern Spear, as it's known, is not only to stop drugs trafficking, as the Pentagon says. Many suspect Washington is aiming for a regime change in Caracas. But even with U.S. President Donald Trump recently expressing willingness for dialogue with Venezuela's Maduro, the uncertainty over a potential military confrontation between the U.S. and Venezuela remains. And in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, many residents fear that if this happens, they'd feel it here too.

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