President Donald Trump has decided to place a large military presence in the southern Caribbean Sea. 

The Daily Mail reports that the move is designed to combat drug cartels in the region.

Whether or not Trump will direct the military to actually go on the offensive remains to be seen.

CARTELS: In a massive show of force, President Trump is deploying 4,000 to the Caribbean aboard a flotilla of ships including Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group, 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, multiple P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several… pic.twitter.com/DE5yOYxlmo

— @amuse (@amuse) August 15, 2025

Here are the details:

According to CNN, the Trump administration has deployed over 4,000 troops to the region.

Per the outlet:

The US military is deploying more than 4,000 Marines and sailors to the waters around Latin America and the Caribbean as part of a ramped-up effort to combat drug cartels, two US defense officials told CNN — a dramatic show of force that will give the president a broad range of military options should he want to target drug cartels.

The outlet goes on to report that this "s part of a broader repositioning of military assets to the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility that has been underway over the last three weeks."

It's not just troops either.

CNN reports, "A nuclear-powered attack submarine, additional P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers and a guided-missile cruiser are also being allocated to US Southern Command as part of the mission."

That's a lot of power

For now, it would appear that the Trump administration is content with only making a show of force, with the hope that this will secure the desired effect.

CNN writes:

One of the officials emphasized that the military buildup is for now mostly a show of force, aimed more at sending a message than indicative of any intention to conduct precision targeting of cartels.

It does appear, however, that the administration is considering various military options should Trump and the Pentagon decide to take a more offensive approach to the situation.

Trump has alraedy been using the military to help secure the U.S.-Mexico border. The Daily Mail notes how Trump, for a while now, has suggested the possibility of using the military to go after the cartels.

Per the outlet:

The directive marks yet another escalation by President Donald Trump, who has long wanted to use the military to go after the drug gangs that he has designated as global terrorist organizations.