U.S. reopens shuttered Puerto Rico naval base as Caribbean military buildup continues

Source: CBS News

November 14, 2025 / 7:49 PM EST


Near Ceiba, Puerto Rico — A U.S. naval base in Puerto Rico that was closed more than 20 years ago is now back in operation as the United States builds up forces in the Caribbean ahead of possible military action against Venezuela.

Naval Station Roosevelt Roads closed in 2004 after having been in operation since 1943. But the Roosevelt Roads base has been reopened and is now one of five locations where U.S. forces are operating in Puerto Rico, an American territory strategically positioned north of Venezuela.

In early September, a source confirmed to CBS News that the U.S. sent 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for operations targeting drug cartels. Samuel Rivera Baez, the mayor of Ceiba, a town located just next to the base, told CBS News that the F-35s wake him up in the mornings. "Right now, the United States is the most powerful in the world," Baez said. "Having them here taking care of us, we feel more than safe."

The military presence is drawing notice from Puerto Rican locals like Damien Leon. "I feel tense, kind of anxious not knowing what it going to happen, maybe an attack of someone close," Leon told CBS News.

Read more: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/u-s-reopens-shuttered-puerto-rico-naval-base-caribbean-military-buildup-continues/