There has been a dramatic increase in the US military presence in the Caribbean near Venezuela under US Southern Command as President Donald Trump has been expanding the targeting of drug traffickers bringing illicit substances to the US, such as fentanyl.

The Trump administration has so far struck seven boats believed to be driven by narco-terrorists bringing drugs to the US. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth also announced that there would be a new counter-narcotics task Joint Task Force created and will operate near Southern Command. Hegseth commented that it is meant to “crush the cartels, stop the poison, and keep America safe,” per Fox News.

The US has deployed Air Force B-52H Stratofortress bombers and Marine Corps F-35B Lightning II fighter jets to the region and recently conducted a bombing demonstration.

Additionally, there are at least seven US Navy warships as well as a nuclear submarine in the region, a show of force displayed within the sights of the Maduro regime in Venezuela.

Additionally, the USSS Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group is in the Caribbean Sea. The group of military personnel and material includes USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28), USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU). The group was spotted off the coast of Puerto Rico last week.

There are also three Navy guided-missile destroyers. These include the USS Stockdale (DDG-106), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Gravely (DDG-107). They have also been joined by the USS Lake Erie (CG-70), a guided-missile cruiser and the littoral combat ship USS Wichita (LCS-13).

According to the outlet, there is also a nuclear-powered submarine near Venezuela. However, an exact location for the submarine has not been confirmed by authorities. The New York Times estimated that there are around 10,000 US troops in the region, the largest number in decades.

This comes as Trump has accused the Maduro regime of enabling narco-terrorists to bring deadly substances to the US. One defense analyst told Fox News, “This is a posture we haven’t seen in the Caribbean since the early 2000s. It’s clearly meant to send a message — not just to traffickers, but to governments accused of enabling them.”

“What I think they’ve put in place is the capability to launch strikes at either the cartels or the Maduro regime,” Mark Cancian, a defense adviser at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, said. “If I had to bet, it’s probably against the cartels — but I wouldn’t rule out something against the regime.”