Americas

Military news from North, South, and Central America.

Latest in Americas

A U.S. Space Forces Southern patch is worn during an activation ceremony for Space Forces Southern at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz., Jan. 21, 2026. SPACEFOR–SOUTH became operational effective Dec. 1, 2025, the ceremony formally recognized the activation with the assumption of command by Col. Brandon Alford, and the digital unveiling of the Space Forces Southern emblem, symbolizing the command’s mission and regional focus. (U.S. Air Force photo by Tech. Sgt. Rachel Maxwell)

After Venezuela operation, Space Force activates SOUTHCOM element

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 25, 2026

Aerial footage of an alleged drug smuggling boat in the eastern Pacific before it was destroyed.

US carries out first strike on alleged drug boat in 2026

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 24, 2026

Operation Absolute Resolve

Here’s what we know in the wake of Operation Absolute Resolve (and what we don’t)

By Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jan 7, 2026

An F/A-18F Super Hornet aircraft, attached to Strike Fighter Squadron 213, launches from the flight deck of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, Ford-class aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), while underway in the Caribbean Sea, Dec. 28, 2025. U.S. military forces are deployed to the Caribbean in support of the U.S. Southern Command mission, Department of War-directed operations, and the president's priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking and protect the homeland. (U.S. Navy photo)

More than 150 fighters, bombers and other aircraft took part in Venezuela strike

By Nicholas Slayton

Updated on Jan 4, 2026

An MC-130J Commando II assigned to the 1st Special Operations Wing and U.S. Army MH-60M Black Hawks assigned to the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (Airborne) participate in a helicopter air-to-air refueling exercise near Hurlburt Field, Florida, Nov. 20, 2025. Joint exercises enable special operations forces to share distinct interservice skillsets and seamlessly operate during real-world missions. (U.S. Air Force photo by Airman 1st Class Isabel Tanner)

Delta Force, other special operations soldiers carried out Venezuela raid

By Jeff Schogol, Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 3, 2026

US military captures Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro after striking military sites

By Nicholas Slayton, Jeff Schogol

Posted on Jan 3, 2026

A U.S. Coast Guard C-130 Hercules with USCG Base Honolulu, performs aerial maneuvers while performing a Search and Rescue demonstration during the 2025 Kaneohe Bay Air Show at Marine Corps Base Hawaii, Aug. 10, 2025. The Kaneohe Bay Air Show provides an opportunity to showcase the aircraft, equipment and capabilities of the armed forces in the Indo-Pacific region to the local community. The air show contained aerial performances, static displays, demonstrations and vendors, was designed to celebrate MCBH’s longstanding relationship with the local community. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Cpl. Jade K. Venegas)

Coast Guard halts search for survivors of US strikes on boats in the Pacific

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Jan 2, 2026

PALM BEACH, FLORIDA - DECEMBER 28: U.S. President Donald Trump speaks during a news conference with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky following their meeting at Trump’s Mar-a-Lago club on December 28, 2025 in Palm Beach, Florida. Trump invited Zelensky to his private club to work on the U.S.-proposed peace plan to end the war in Ukraine as the conflict approaches four years since the sudden full-scale invasion by Russia on February 24, 2022. (Photo by Joe Raedle/Getty Images)

Trump says US took out a ‘big facility’ in Venezuela

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 29, 2025

U.S. Army Pfc. Daniel Flores, left, and Spc. Evan Card, both with 101st Sustainment Brigade, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), mount a M2A1 machine gun to their M1114 Humvee before a gunnery exercise at Dona Ana Training Complex, N.M., Aug. 21, 2025. Gunneries are a routine training exercise that Soldiers conduct in order to stay proficient in warrior tasks and drills. JTF-SB executes full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to protect the territorial integrity of the United States and achieve 100% operational control of the southern border. (U.S. Army photo by Sgt. Elijah Ingram)

Have you served on the US-Mexico border in the last year? We want to hear from you.

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Dec 22, 2025

A Coast Guard helicopter approaches the M/T Centuries on Dec. 20, 2025.

US forces seize oil tanker in the Caribbean

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 21, 2025

A US Air Force C-130 Hercules taxis at Rafael Hernandez Airport in Aguadilla, Puerto Rico, on December 18, 2025. US President Donald Trump's administration is conducting a military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, deploying naval and air forces for what it calls an anti-drugs offensive. (Photo by Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)

US forces returning to Ecuador for ‘short-term’ counter-drug mission

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 20, 2025

Image: NAVAL STATION MAYPORT, Fla. - (Dec. 1, 2025) – Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Thomas Hudner (DDG 116) departed Naval Station Mayport for a scheduled deployment, Dec. 1. USS Thomas Hudner is a multi-mission guided-missile destroyer capable of air warfare (AW), anti-submarine warfare (ASW), naval surface fire support (NSFS), and surface warfare (SUW). (U.S.

Navy destroyer that joined fight against Houthis, Iran, arrives in Caribbean

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 6, 2025

U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Christopher Warner, left, and U.S. Army 2nd Lt. Christian Eichelberger, both with 2nd Battalion, 12th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division, assigned to Joint Task Force-Southern Border (JTF-SB), monitor the southern border near Nogales, Ariz., Sept. 17, 2025. JTF-SB executes full-scale, agile, and all-domain operations in support of U.S. Customs and Border Protection to protect the territorial integrity of the United States and achieve 100% operational control of the southern border. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Sean Hoch)

In major restructure, Army stands up new Western Hemisphere Command

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Dec 5, 2025

The USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departs the Port of Port of Spain on October 30, 2025. The US warship arrived in Trinidad and Tobago on October 26, 2025, for joint exercises near the coast of Venezuela, as Washington ratcheted up pressure on drug traffickers and Venezuelan leader Nicolas Maduro. (Photo by MARTIN BERNETTI / AFP via Getty Images)

62% of Americans support military action against suspected drug traffickers, survey finds

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Dec 4, 2025

Steven Price testifies at the Texas House of Representatives this year, and a photo from his time stationed in Panama in the early 1980s.

A veteran’s service in Panama isn’t covered by the VA. There are hundreds like him.

By Patty Nieberg

Posted on Dec 1, 2025

Mugshot of Tanner Christopher Thomas.

Airman indicted in plot to take over Haitian island, enslave population

By Nicholas Slayton

Posted on Nov 22, 2025