RELEASE: U.S. military aircraft, ships, and support teams arriving and en route to Venezuela to aid the country’s disaster relief efforts

U.S. Southern Command continues to surge U.S. military capabilities to Venezuela today in support of ongoing U.S. earthquake relief efforts requested by the Venezuelan government and led by the State Department.

Two U.S. Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircraft are transporting U.S. Urban Search and Rescue teams based in Los Angeles and Fairfax, Virginia, and one U.S. Air Force C-17 will deliver load-movement equipment to Caracas.

U.S. Marine Corps MV-22 Ospreys will transport an airfield assessment team to Venezuela to support airport operations that were impacted near the earthquake epicenter.

The U.S. Navy's San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) and Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) have arrived in waters near Venezuela and will begin supporting relief and live-saving efforts.

Three U.S. Army CH-47 Chinooks and crews from Joint Task Force-Bravo will depart Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras en route to support the transport of key personnel and supplies aiding impacted Venezuelan communities.

The command's U.S. Space Force component is providing satellite imagery of devastated areas to disaster relief planners in Venezuela to aid them in assessing where immediate live-saving and aid efforts are needed most and identifying what capability requests to prioritize.

Updated information on today's surge will be posted on U.S. Southern Command's official social media accounts.

Planning of additional U.S. military support is ongoing in close coordination with the U.S. State Department, the Venezuelan government, and other partners and Allies contributing defense capabilities to the ongoing international relief effort, and will be announced once confirmed.

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