CARACAS, WILLEMSTAD – More than 900 U.S. military personnel are currently operating in Venezuela as part of the multinational humanitarian response to the devastating earthquakes, according to General Francis Donovan, commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).
Donovan said an additional approximately 800 U.S. service members remain stationed in Puerto Rico and Curaçao, where they are providing logistical support for the ongoing relief operation.
According to the general, U.S. forces are assisting with a broad range of humanitarian missions, including search and rescue operations, restoring operational capacity at Simón Bolívar International Airport in Maiquetía, and transporting emergency aid by air and sea.
Donovan also confirmed that the United States is deploying MQ-9 Reaper unmanned aerial systems to collect critical information about damaged roads, collapsed buildings and terrain conditions. The intelligence gathered is being used to improve operational planning and coordinate humanitarian assistance with Venezuelan authorities.
"The focus of our mission remains supporting the humanitarian response and helping save lives," Donovan said, adding that cooperation between the United States and Venezuela has developed rapidly in response to the disaster.
The deployment represents one of the largest U.S. humanitarian military operations in the Caribbean region in recent years.
Curaçao has become a key logistics hub for the international relief effort. In recent days, the island has supported the operation through the deployment of the Royal Netherlands Navy vessel HNLMS Groningen, humanitarian flights, emergency relief shipments and the staging of international rescue teams heading to Venezuela.
International assistance continues to arrive as rescue crews work to locate survivors, restore critical infrastructure and deliver food, water, medical supplies and other essential aid to communities devastated by the earthquakes.