American B-1 bombers approach Venezuela

U.S. Air Force B-1B Lancer bombers conducted flights near the Venezuelan coast on 23 October, as the Pentagon confirmed the deployment of the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group to the region.

The missions, first tracked by open-source flight monitoring accounts, occurred amid a wider U.S. effort to increase military presence in the southern Caribbean.

According to flight data, two B-1Bs using the callsign “BARB” departed Dyess Air Force Base, Texas, before flying south over the Caribbean Sea. Tracking data indicated they came within roughly 80 kilometres of Venezuela’s mainland and less than 10 kilometres from Los Testigos islands, supported by a KC-135 tanker and an RC-135 reconnaissance aircraft. An E-11A Battlefield Airborne Communications Node was also detected operating near Puerto Rico, facilitating data and communications.

The Pentagon later said the move was part of “ongoing regional operations” under U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM), which oversees counter-narcotics and maritime security missions across Latin America. Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth stated on 24 October that the United States had conducted its tenth airstrike against suspected drug-smuggling targets in the preceding 24 hours.

The Independent reported that President Donald Trump denied authorising any flights near Venezuelan airspace, calling the claims “false,” though flight data published by open-source researchers appeared to contradict that assertion. Observers noted that the B-1Bs’ transponders were deliberately activated, suggesting a level of transparency intended for signalling purposes rather than concealment.

Pentagon spokesperson Sean Parnell said the deployment of the Gerald R. Ford carrier group was ordered “in support of the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organisations and counter narco-terrorism in defence of the homeland.” The task force will operate within the USSOUTHCOM area of responsibility.

The operation forms part of a broader pressure campaign against drug cartels and the government of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, whom Washington continues to describe as illegitimate. The flights came shortly after Trump warned that the U.S. “may strike targets on land” if required to defend its interests in the region.