WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the top U.S. general Dan Caine made a surprise visit to Puerto Rico on Monday, the first trip by senior Pentagon officials there since the start of a military buildup in the Caribbean that has escalated tensions with Venezuela.
Hegseth and Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were seen being received by Puerto Rico’s governor, Jenniffer Gonzalez, in photographs she posted to social media site X.
The Pentagon declined to comment on the trip and no explanation of their travel was provided to reporters.
“We thank @POTUS 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,” Gonzalez wrote on X.
Trump has ordered the department of defense to rename itself the Department of War, a change that will require action by Congress. The new name would apply to Hegseth as well, altering his title to “Secretary of War.” Signs at the Pentagon have already been changed to reflect the new policy ahead of any Congressional approval.
The Trump administration has ordered the deployment of 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to conduct operations against drug cartels, sources told Reuters on Friday.
Puerto Rico, a U.S. territory, is located north of Caracas in the Caribbean.
That deployment comes on top of an already bristling U.S. military presence in the southern Caribbean as Trump carries out a campaign pledge to crack down on groups funneling drugs into the United States.
Last week a U.S. military strike in the Caribbean killed 11 people and sank a boat from Venezuela that U.S. President Donald Trump said was transporting illegal narcotics.
Trump has accused Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro of narco trafficking, allegations Caracas denies. Maduro has said the U.S. military is hoping to drive him from power, but Trump has played down speculation that he is pursuing regime change in Venezuela.
The Pentagon accused Venezuela of a “highly provocative” flight on Thursday by fighter jets near a U.S. Navy warship.
Hegseth and Caine are visiting Puerto Rico as U.S. Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit carry out amphibious training and flight operations in military drills in the southern part of the island.
(Reporting by Phil Stewart and Idrees Ali; Editing by Nia Williams)
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