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U.S. Southern Command is surging additional U.S. military capabilities to Venezuela today to support ongoing U.S. earthquake relief efforts requested by the Venezuelan government and led by the State Department.
Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft are transporting U.S. Urban Search and Rescue teams based in Los Angeles and Fairfax, Virginia, and one C-17 will deliver load-movement equipment to Caracas.
U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys will carry an airfield assessment team to Venezuela to support airport operations impacted near the earthquake epicenter.
The U.S. Navy’s San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) and Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) have arrived in waters near Venezuela and will begin supporting relief and life-saving efforts.
Three U.S. Army CH-47 Chinooks and crews from Joint Task Force-Bravo will depart Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras en route to support the transport of key personnel and supplies aiding impacted Venezuelan communities.
The command’s U.S. Space Force component is providing satellite imagery of devastated areas to disaster relief planners in Venezuela to help assess where immediate life-saving and aid efforts are needed most and identify which capability requests to prioritize.
Updated information on today’s surge will be posted on U.S. Southern Command’s official social media accounts. Planning of additional U.S. military support is ongoing in close coordination with the U.S. State Department, the Venezuelan government, and other partners and Allies contributing defense capabilities to the ongoing international relief effort, and will be announced once confirmed.
