US Military Assists With Venezuela Relief Efforts Following Deadly Earthquakes

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24, prepares to land during an aerial damage assessment flight, at Caracas, Venezuela, June 28, 2026. U.S. Marine Corps photoHundreds of U.S. military service members are assisting with disaster response efforts in Venezuela after the South American country was rocked by a pair of earthquakes on June 24, the U.S. State Department reported on June 29.This military-supported humanitarian effort comes less than six months after U.S. forces led an offensive operation to breach Venezuela’s defenses and capture then-Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and his wife Cilia Flores, to face criminal prosecution in the United States on drug trafficking and terrorism-related charges. Venezuela’s interim authorities have reported more than 1,700 people have died as a result of the earthquakes. More than 58,000 people have been reported missing on the website Desaparecidos Terremoto Venezuela—which allows Venezuelans to self-report missing loved ones—as of June 30.Six U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster cargo aircraft arrived in Venezuela on June 29, carrying troops from a Marine Combat Logistics Company along with heavy engineering equipment and water purification systems. Those troops joined an expanding force footprint within the country.The Air Force has continued to flow C-17s and C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft laden with personnel and supplies into Venezuela, according to the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees military operations throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.SOUTHCOM previously announced the deployment of approximately 100 U.S. Airmen from a contingency response element, along with a U.S. military Airfield Assessment Team, to facilitate increased traffic at key airports near the epicenter of the earthquake. “The key to any successful relief operation is coordinated logistics. That is why the U.S. military helped to rapidly repair and reopen the Simón Bolívar International airport in Caracas for international relief operations,” the U.S. State Department said on June 29.“Given damage to airport infrastructure and the significant amount of international aid arriving, the United States has assumed a leading role in coordinating airfield and humanitarian operations at the airport.” Marine Corps MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft have also been ferrying supplies into Venezuela from neighboring Curaçao, an autonomous constituent country within the kingdom of the Netherlands.Marine UH-1Y Venom helicopters are assisting with aerial assessments of the disaster area, as well as carrying U.S. State Department personnel around the country.The amphibious transport dock ship USS Fort Lauderdale has docked at the Port of La Guaira and is using the port as a delivery point for further supplies.USS Fort Lauderdale is the core ship supporting Marine Littoral Combat Force 24 (LCF-24), which cycled into the SOUTHCOM area of operations last month amid mounting U.S. diplomatic pressure against communist-led Cuba. The Marine MV-22s and UH-1Ys are also assigned to LCF-24.U.S. Army CH-47 Chinooks and air crews, assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo out of Soto Cano Air Base, Honduras, are also now operating within Venezuela. SOUTHCOM said additional aircraft and air crews from Joint Task Force-Bravo are expected to arrive this week.The U.S. Space Force is supporting the disaster response effort by providing satellite imagery to assess the disaster areas.U.S. support for the disaster response is proceeding in coordination with Venezuela’s interim authorities, who have been overseeing the country following Maduro’s capture.In addition to the deployed military assets, the U.S. government has increased its commitment to more than $300 million for disaster relief efforts in Venezuela.