U.S. Beefing Up Military Deployment in Own Backyard

Sept. 17—In line with its new mission statement, the U.S. military deployment aimed at the Caribbean now includes MQ-9 Reaper drones. According to Air & Space Forces Magazine, MQ-9’s have been spotted at Rafael Hernández International Airport in Puerto Rico. In at least one case, the drone appeared to be armed with Hellfire missiles. Flights of C-17 cargo aircraft and KC-135 and KC-46 air refueling aircraft in and out of bases in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands have also been tracked. As for the 10 F-35’s that have also been reported to have been ordered to Puerto Rico, it’s still not clear whether they’ve arrived or not.

Meanwhile, Senate Democrats are questioning the legal rationale for the strike against the Venezuelan boats allegedly carrying drugs. In a letter to President Donald Trump, Sen. Tim Kaine of Virginia and two dozen other Democratic senators said the Trump administration has provided “no legitimate legal justification” for the strikes. Senators are demanding more information from the administration on the situation and use of U.S. military power.

“Our armed forces are not law enforcement agencies,” said Sen. Jack Reed of Rhode Island, the top Democrat on the Senate Armed Services Committee, in a floor speech this week. “They are not empowered to hunt down suspected criminals and kill them without trial,” Reed said.

Democratic senators have argued that Congress has not authorized the use of military force for this purpose. “We assert that Congress made no declaration of war, nor did it authorize the use of military force for future similar operations,” the Democratic senators wrote in the letter to the President.