Historic Shuttered Navy Base Back In Action For Caribbean Counter-Drug Mission
In 2004, the Navy disposed of the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Puerto Rico, but current events have seen it awaken once again.
Howard Altman
Published Sep 15, 2025 6:04 PM EDT
13 September 2025, Puerto Rico, Ceiba: US Marines park a Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. The transfer of US fighter aircraft to the outlying area is linked to the increasing tensions between the United States and Venezuela. Photo: Kendall Torres Cortés/dpa (Photo by Kendall Torres Cortés/picture alliance via Getty Images)
13 September 2025, Puerto Rico, Ceiba: US Marines park a Lockheed Martin F-35B fighter aircraft at Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. The transfer of US fighter aircraft to the outlying area is linked to the increasing tensions between the United States and Venezuela. Photo: Kendall Torres Cortés/dpa (Photo by Kendall Torres Cortés/picture alliance via Getty Images)
The F-35B stealth fighters that landed in Puerto Rico on Saturday joined a growing U.S. military presence at the former Naval Station Roosevelt Roads. Though the Navy disposed of this sprawling facility more than two decades ago, it is now a major staging area for the Trump administration’s battle against narco traffickers and pressure campaign against Venezuelan dictator Nicolas Maduro. These counter-drug activities have some asking whether Roosevelt Roads, once considered surplus by the U.S. Navy, should be permanently reopened as a military installation.
Before the F-35s arrived, cargo aircraft like the C-5 Galaxy and C-17 Globemaster III were seen at the facility, now known as José Aponte de la Torre Airport. There were also U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft and USMC CH-53K King Stallion helicopters present. The Marine aircraft are part of the Iwo Jima Amphibious Readiness Group (ARG) and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which began a training exercise on Puerto Rico on August 31.
https://www.twz.com/sea/historic-shuttered-navy-base-back-in-action-for-caribbean-counter-drug-mission
