(MENAFN) Pentagon Chief Pete Hegseth visited Puerto Rico on Monday as the United States intensified military operations against Venezuelan drug cartels, using the island as a key hub for regional anti-narcotics initiatives.

Gov. Jenniffer Gonzalez-Colon received Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman Dan Caine, expressing gratitude to the Trump administration for acknowledging the territory’s strategic significance.

"We thank (US President Donald) Trump and his administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro," Gonzalez-Colon stated on the US social media company X’s platform, referencing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

She added that the anti-trafficking campaign "will firmly position Puerto Rico as the United States' border in the Caribbean" while addressing "the problem at its root—by targeting the source of the drugs."

The visit comes after Trump’s executive order permitting an increase in military force against Latin American drug cartels and the deployment of a naval task force—including seven warships and a submarine—to Caribbean waters near Venezuela on Aug. 28.

Reports have also suggested that the Trump administration is considering stationing F-35 fighter jets in Puerto Rico.

Recently, US Marines and sailors from the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit carried out amphibious drills and flight exercises in southern Puerto Rico.

When asked on Sunday whether he intends to attack Venezuela, Trump responded, "You're gonna find out."

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