Two of the U.S. military’s senior leaders are returning to Puerto Rico on Nov. 24, 2025, to meet with service members stationed on the island and thank sailors and airmen supporting operations across the Caribbean and Latin America.
In a Pentagon memo released Sunday, officials said the visit by Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and Senior Enlisted Advisor to the Chairman (SEAC) David L. Isom will include meetings with troops based in Puerto Rico and with sailors conducting missions at sea in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility.
“Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine and SEAC David L. Isom are visiting Puerto Rico on November 24, 2025, for the second time to engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions,” the advisory said.
The trip follows an earlier September visit that included Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, who met nearly 300 soldiers at Muñiz Air Base in Carolina, just outside San Juan. That event drew senior local and federal military leaders, including Puerto Rico National Guard Adjutant General Carlos José Rivera-Román and Public Safety Secretary Brig. Gen. Arthur Garffer.
At Muñiz Air Base, Hegseth praised the troops as “American warriors” and emphasized the administration’s commitment to ensuring U.S. forces remain well equipped and prepared.
Regional Context
The visit comes as the U.S. has expanded its naval presence near Venezuela amid efforts to curb illicit drug trafficking from Latin America. Earlier this month, Hegseth announced the launch of Operation Southern Spear, a multinational initiative led by U.S. Southern Command and Joint Task Force Southern Spear aimed at disrupting narco-terror networks across the Western Hemisphere.
Officials say the operation is intended to "defend the homeland and dismantle narco-terrorist networks across the Western Hemisphere," and to reduce the flow of drugs that fuel violence and addiction at home.
Recent Operations
Since early September, U.S. forces have carried out multiple strikes on vessels alleged to be tied to designated terrorist or criminal organizations in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific. These operations have reportedly destroyed dozens of boats linked to Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua and Colombia’s Ejército de Liberación Nacional (ELN).
Media and official accounts indicate the campaign has resulted in approximately 82 suspected narco-terrorist fatalities, with three survivors reported. The campaign began Sept. 2 with an action that killed 11 alleged members of Tren de Aragua and continued through October and November with additional strikes along known trafficking routes.
Engagements have targeted a variety of craft — including submersibles, fishing boats and high-speed vessels. One strike on a vessel reportedly affiliated with the ELN drew criticism from Colombia’s president after three men were killed. Several operations occurred near Venezuela’s coast, while others concentrated in the eastern Pacific.
During the Nov. 24 trip, Caine and SEAC Isom plan to meet with forces on the island and at sea to thank them for their service and to underscore operational priorities in the region.
