The USA has deployed B-1 Lancer bombers as part of a training flight in the Caribbean, as part of an extensive military presence aimed at the drug cartels in Venezuela.

The B-1 Lancer bombers took off from Dyess Air Force Base in Texas and flew through the Caribbean to the shores of Venezuela, according to the Associated Press. This flight was a planned training exercise, part of a series of operations aimed at testing the response of U.S. air forces in the region. The U.S. military presence in the Caribbean Sea also includes warships, P-8 Poseidon patrol aircraft, MQ-9 Reaper drones, and F-35B aircraft deployed in Puerto Rico.

The Pentagon described these maneuvers as a "bomber strike demonstration" against drug cartels in Venezuela. Speculation about a U.S. intervention in Venezuela has increased following lethal strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking. President Trump denied any intention of military escalation but maintained a critical tone towards the Maduro regime, stating that he has legal authority to carry out strikes on boats involved in trafficking.