Rubio Says U.S. in Talks to Establish Military Presence in Venezuela

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The United States is negotiating with Venezuela to establish an American military presence in the country, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said.

In an interview with the New York Times, Rubio said the U.S. wants a “presence agreement” that would allow American troops to operate “jointly” with Venezuelan forces. There are currently no U.S. military bases in South America.

The talks come less than a year after the U.S. operation that led to the arrest of Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife at the start of the year. Under Maduro, Venezuela hosted military drills with Russia, China and Iran in 2022.

Secretary of War Pete Hegseth signaled the shift weeks ago. Asked by The Center Square in early October about bases in the region, he said the U.S. is expanding its footprint in Central and South America with partners. “We are at war with the drug cartels, with DTOs,” Hegseth said.

President Trump has also pointed to the economic benefits of the new relationship. “We’re taking a lot of oil, and we have a great relationship,” he told The Center Square, adding, “We’re going to start filling up our national strategic reserves with the Venezuelan oil for very little money.”

The administration has targeted narco-terrorists across the Caribbean and South America for more than a year, an approach some have nicknamed the “Donroe Doctrine,” a play on the Monroe Doctrine. Trump-backed candidates have also won elections across South America.

The Venezuela talks are part of a reshuffling of America’s military footprint. The U.S. has reached an agreement to build two bases in Greenland, confirmed a troop drawdown in Germany and floated moving more forces out of Italy and Spain.