US troops pictured training in dense forest as | Political News

New photos show Marines training in a forest compound in Puerto Rico amid fears an invasion of Venezuela by the U.S. is imminent.

The twenty second Marine Expeditionary Unit posted a collection of pictures depicting training operations from late September on its Facebook web page over the past a number of weeks.

Most show workouts in a dense Puerto Rican forest close to Camp Santiago — a base owned and operated by the Puerto Rico National Guard.

Others characteristic videos of training operations, including one that confirmed Marines loading and firing mortars into an empty discipline close to the treeline.

Yet more confirmed Marines rappelling from helicopters, storming the seashores in hovercraft from Navy ships, or working tanks across seashores and fields. Some could be seen slashing their means through the forest, cutting the comb as they make their means toward exercise mission targets.

Every post particulars what the pictures or videos show, as effectively as the situation of each exercise. Most are tagged Puerto Rico, while others are tagged Caribbean Sea.

“U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland,” each one reads. There are dozens.

Part of the troops’ mission is the “beautification” of the Cold War-era naval base, which was designed to keep Cuba and the menace of a Red Scare in the Caribbean in test.

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“Marines with Combat Logistics Battalion 26 and Battalion landing Team 3/6, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (Special Operations Capable), conduct engineer operations enhancing Camp Santiago base facilities and beautification on Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico, Sep. 23, 2025,” one of the posts reads.

It’s pertinent to observe that the luxurious, jungle terrain of Puerto Rico carefully mirrors that of Venezuela, which is positioned about 550 miles to the south. Military analysts told the Daily Mail that the similarities aren’t an accident.

“The United States is trying to make sure it has sufficient infrastructure for whatever the president might order,” Mark Montgomery, a retired rear admiral who spent time in Puerto Rico in the Eighties, told the Mail.

Donald Trump has been ramping up his rhetoric against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, even implying that he would attempt to topple the authoritarian regime in the nation.

On Sunday, the president was requested whether or not the Venezuelan strongman’s days are numbered. He replied, “I think so, yeah.”

That’s where Puerto Rico comes in — it is in a strategic location, ought to Trump resolve to launch an invasion into the South American nation.

“If the president wants an aggressive air campaign, or the pre-positioning of air elements to use against Maduro, you’re going to want to have as many functional forward airports and logistics sites as possible,” Montgomery added.