US President Donald Trump has refused to confirm he’ll strike Venezuela as the clock runs out on his 60 day war powers. And as an aircraft carrier group heads to the Caribbean, old bases are being reopened and rebuilt.
A major open source investigation by Reuters shows how the abandoned Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico is being fixed up. Runways are being repaired and a military ‘tent city’ has even sprung up. Located on the eastern coast of the island the re-opening suggests a sustained presence is being planned.
The base was shuttered two decades ago. And the military seems to be building out facilities in the nearby US Virgin Islands too.
Trump plays it coy
Speaking on 60 Minutes on 2 November, Trump was careful not to commit – but suggested Venezuelan leader Maduro’s days were numbered:
| President Trump refuses to rule out regime change in Venezuela, and possible “land strikes” on Venezuelan soil in tonight’s 60 Minutes interview:
Norah O’Donnell: “Are Maduro’s days as president numbered?”
Trump: “I would say so, yeah, I think so.” pic.twitter.com/npmaWPycNI
— Sociedad (@sociedadmedia) November 3, 2025
Either way, the signs of a major militarisation in Puerto Rico are clear from satellite imagery. Tents have sprung up on the old naval station in the shadow of a parked heavy transport plane:
BREAKING:
Transport routes ready for jet and cargo planes are being prepared, nearly a dozen tents set up, and a River drone already in place. pic.twitter.com/7iRze4AQT2
— Megatron (@Megatron_ron) November 3, 2025
And major upgrades on one runway have seen vegetation cut back and tarmac fixed:
Big changes in Puerto Rico: Satellite images reveal U.S. restoring the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base—possibly for operations in Venezuela. What’s next? Stay tuned.
#PuertoRico #MilitaryUpdate #Venezuela #Geopolitics pic.twitter.com/Izb5bBZt1Z
— ceanpolitics (@ceanglobal) November 3, 2025
Reuters reported “crews are upgrading taxiways with improvements that analysts say would enable use by fighter jets as well as cargo planes”.
A former US Marine Corp colonel told the publication changes “were consistent with preparations for an increase in landings and takeoffs of military aircraft”.
Other images from Roosevelt Roads show fighter jets and Osprey aircraft have present at the facility:
The U.S. is restoring an abandoned military base in Puerto Rico, potentially for operations in Venezuela
According to Reuters, satellite images show construction crews clearing and resurfacing taxiways leading to the runway at the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base, which has been… pic.twitter.com/A60QQaBFe0
— Visegrád 24 (@visegrad24) November 3, 2025
Locally sourced images purport to show new radar equipment as St Croix airfield in the Virgin Islands:
A AN/TPS-75, which acts as the primary land-based tactical air defense radar for the U.S. Air Force, seen deployed late last month at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on the Island of St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands, just to the southeast of Puerto Rico and roughly 450 miles to the… pic.twitter.com/eaC3vEybgU
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 2, 2025
Legalities and strategy in the Caribbean
The Americans have spent the last two months hitting what they call ‘narco-terrorist’ boats in the Caribbean and Pacific. Trump and defence sectary Pete Hegseth say they are in a war akin to the fight against Al Qaeda. Trump has also threatened land based strikes and openly admitted he’s deployed the Central Intelligence Agency.
A new CNN timeline claims 64 people have been killed in 15 strikes. The Pentagon has admitted it has no idea who it is killing.
Most experts reject the government’s claims and question the legal basis of the strikes. Many also argue the military strikes and escalation are about regime change in oil-rich Venezuela, which is not a major drug-producing country.
According to the legal thinktank Just Security, the US president has 60 days from commencing a military operation before he must ask for a vote on military action from congress:
In other words, even when a president is acting under his or her constitutional authority to use force, the statute requires that the operations terminate after 60 days if Congress has not yet approved of the operations.
Today, 3 November, is final day of the notional 60 day limit.
Imperial realignment?
The idea of war against Venezuela is not popular in the US. A YouGov polls says only 15% would back it:
The U.S. military deployment near Venezuela has become even less popular in the past month — YouGov survey
Only 15% of U.S. citizens would support an invasion of Venezuela. A majority would oppose. pic.twitter.com/gq001hb2pS
— Camila (@camilapress) November 1, 2025
However, that refers to an outright invasion. Libya-style airstrikes seem a more likely option. And rebuilds of key regional airfields seem to align with that idea. Additionally, the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier group is being sent back from Europe to the Caribbean. The Ford is the US navy’s flagship and largest warship in the world:
– The nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford, the U.S. Navy’s flagship and the world’s largest warship, was spotted today in the central Mediterranean Sea, steaming solo at more than 30 knots—over 34 miles per hour—in a clear sign of haste.
This rapid… pic.twitter.com/L2ymCzS17h
—
The Informant (@theinformant_x) November 1, 2025
Trump administration’s have always combined staying tight-lipped with moments of spectacle where they pull back the curtain on the workings of power. Less remarked upon currently is the sense that the US is realigning itself globally.
Part of this, some argue, is about the US accepting it must share global power with China, while reasserting itself in what it considers its own backyard: south and central America. The precise nature of that calculation – and who the cost will fall on – will become clearer in the coming months.
Featured image via the Canary
By Joe Glenton
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