Littoral Combat Force Marines and sailors aid U.S. interagency earthquake response in Venezuela

The United States has mobilized a humanitarian mission at the request of the Venezuelan government after twin earthquakes struck off the country’s northern coast on June 24, prompting Marines and sailors from Littoral Combat Force 24 to shift from regional security duties to disaster relief.

The quakes, measured at magnitudes 7.2 and 7.5 west of Caracas, caused extensive damage in coastal communities including Catia La Mar and across the state of La Guaira. A specialized Disaster Assistance Response Team was dispatched as U.S. forces operating from Puerto Rico, Camp Lejeune, and the amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale in the Caribbean Sea pivoted to support State Department-led humanitarian operations.

“In a disaster of this magnitude, the first 72 hours are a race against the clock. Roads are destroyed, airports are damaged, and infrastructure collapses. LCF-24 brings the ability to bypass those obstacles. By operating from the sea and forward nodes, we can insert experts, equipment, and medical support directly into the hardest-hit areas, providing the combatant commander and our interagency partners with the flexible options they need to save lives.” Col. Ryan Lynch, commanding officer of LCF-24, said.

With airports near Caracas initially closed due to severe damage, aviation and logistics from LCF-24 underpinned the response. As U.S. Southern Command coordinated efforts on the ground in Venezuela, MV-22B Ospreys from Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 365 (Reinforced) launched from Jose Aponte De la Torre Airport in Ceiba, Puerto Rico, to insert Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Kevin J. Jarrard and his command element, establishing a U.S. military Humanitarian Assistance Coordination Center ashore.

To sustain the tempo, LCF-24 aviation assets set up forward flight operations in Curaçao. From that staging point, MV-22Bs have been ferrying heavy logistics and personnel into Venezuela, supported by a tethered KC-130J Hercules from 2d Marine Aircraft Wing. UH-1Y Venom helicopters are conducting aerial surveys of damaged infrastructure and moving State Department and search-and-rescue personnel among hard-to-reach, heavily affected areas.

Ashore, Reconnaissance Marines from the force’s Maritime Raid Force are teaming with Venezuelan search-and-rescue units and U.S. Urban Search and Rescue teams deployed from Fairfax County, Virginia, and Los Angeles, California. LCF-24 has provided the heavy-lift capacity to place Marines and civilian specialists at the front lines of rescue efforts.

“The rapid pivot of Littoral Combat Force-24 from scheduled security operations to active lifesaving missions demonstrates their operational flexibility,” said Lt. Gen. Calvert Worth, commanding general of II Marine Expeditionary Force. “Being deployed forward to Puerto Rico as an expeditionary advanced base, operating from an Amphibious Warship—USS Ft Lauderdale and with remaining elements postured for rapid deployment, LCF-24 bypassed damaged infrastructure to insert critical leadership and rescue assets exactly where the Combatant Commander needed them. We’ve proven yet again that Marines—partnered with the Navy—are uniquely equipped to deliver hope and critical relief alongside our interagency and international partners when disaster strikes.”

LCF-24, a forward-deployed Marine Expeditionary Unit capable of missions ranging from security operations to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief, remains positioned to support ongoing joint and interagency recovery efforts along Venezuela’s coast.