Inside Barksdale AFB: Barksdale B-52s buzz Venezuela coast as Trump raises heat on Maduro
A clear message of American military capability just miles from Venezuelan shores.
This article appeared in the October 17, 2025, BossierNow morning email. We offer free and paid subscription plans.
In a significant show of force, B-52 Stratofortress bombers from Barksdale Air Force Base conducted flights this week in international airspace off the coast of Venezuela.
The missions are the latest in a series of moves by President Donald Trump to intensify pressure on the government of Nicolás Maduro, which the White House has increasingly labeled the leader of a “narcoterrorist” regime.
The Venezuelan government has vehemently condemned the U.S. military presence in the region, denouncing it as an act of intimidation and a violation of its sovereignty. In response to the B-52 flights, Maduro’s government has reportedly placed its armed forces on high alert.
The long-range, heavy bombers were observed flying orbits in the Caribbean Sea, a clear message of American military capability just miles from Venezuelan shores. U.S. Southern Command characterized the flights as part of ongoing efforts to combat illicit drug trafficking in the region.
However, the presence of the strategic bombers, capable of carrying a wide array of conventional and nuclear munitions, is being widely interpreted as a direct signal to Maduro and his inner circle.
The flights are part of a broader U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean. The Trump administration has deployed an increased number of naval warships and surveillance aircraft to the region in an effort to interdict drug shipments.
President Trump recently confirmed that he has authorized covert operations by the Central Intelligence Agency in Venezuela and has not ruled out the possibility of land-based military action. This aggressive stance follows a string of lethal strikes by U.S. forces on suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean.
The Trump administration has framed its actions as a necessary response to the threat posed by drug cartels operating in and around Venezuela. In August, the administration doubled the bounty for information leading to the capture of Maduro to $50 million.
