Based on a video recently posted to X, it appears that a Virginia-class nuclear submarine is on its way to Venezuela—for reasons unknown.
The Trump administration is seemingly preparing for major military operations in Latin America, bringing a large number of combat assets into the United States Southern Command’s (USSOUTHCOM) Area of Responsibility (AOR) as well as United States Northern Command’s (USNORTHCOM) AOR. Ostensibly, the plan is to wage unremitting war upon the drug cartels in Mexico—a mission that will likely extend to hitting the narco-terrorist regime of Nicolas Maduro in Venezuela.
Why Is the United States Preparing for War Near Venezuela?
Three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers, the USS Iwo Jima amphibious assault group, and 4,500 United States Marines and sailors have been deployed off the coast of Venezuela. Additionally, P-8 Poseidon surveillance planes and the littoral combat ship (LCS) USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul have been placed off the coast of Venezuela for additional intelligence-collection for the wider fleet operating there.
Meanwhile, the New York Times reports at least one nuclear-powered “attack submarine” has been deployed off the coast of Venezuela, too.
Between the flotilla of three Arleigh Burke-class destroyers and the introduction of the attack submarine—to say nothing of whatever air support the Americans are bringing to bear—the United States is in a position to launch serious and sustained air strikes on key military and cartel targets throughout Venezuela.
If President Donald Trump were to do so, it would be in keeping with previous indications that he intends to take a hard line against the Maduro regime. The Trump administration had previously designated Nicolas Maduro as a “narco-terrorist.” In 2020, a US court indicted him for conspiring with FARC, a Marxist guerrilla force based in neighboring Colombia that supports its political activities via the drug trade, to import cocaine into the United States.
Although the main body of FARC formally laid down its arms in 2016 and reorganized as a civilian political party, thousands of dissidents have continued to fight. Earlier this week, in fact, a Colombian military helicopter was shot down by FARC elements, indicating a renewed escalation in the conflict. Given that FARC is closely aligned with and supported by the Venezuelan regime, one cannot discount that these events are connected to the larger US Navy buildup.
Further, the Trump administration designated “Tren de Aragua (TdA),” a notorious Venezuelan prison gang, as a “foreign terrorist organization.” Multiple Venezuelan expats living in South Florida have identified Tren de Aragua as a paramilitary arm of the Maduro regime. Though this cannot be said for certain, and Maduro has obviously downplayed the connections, the Venezuelan dictator is no stranger to using transnational crime as a way to prop up his government. Venezuela’s Cartel de los Soles (Cartel of the Suns) is a literal state-backed narcotics ring that many Venezuelan military and political officials are part of.
As a result of Maduro’s involvement in the drug trade and other criminal enterprises, the Trump administration recently issued a $50 million bounty for his arrest. The idea seems to be that the reward could entice one of his inner circle to kidnap him and hand him over to the American flotilla operating off Venezuela’s coast. Of course, this is highly unlikely to happen. But the Trump administration’s continual deployment of assets away from the European, Middle East, and Asian theaters indicates that Washington is not merely flexing its muscles randomly at the South American strongman.
The Virginia-Class Attack Submarine Theory
On August 21, someone at the Panama Canal filmed a US Navy submarine transiting from the Pacific Ocean side of the canal to the Atlantic Ocean side. It is assumed that this submarine was on its way to join the American flotilla. Based upon the 23-second video posted on X (formerly Twitter) and a deep analysis of the video posted, it appears that the submarine in question is a Virginia-class nuclear-powered attack submarine. The sail design and photonic masts seen in the video indicate a submarine belonging to the Virginia-class family.
Extrapolating from the video, the fact that the submarine featured was moving from the Pacific side of South America to the Atlantic indicates that it was possibly one of the nine Virginia-class submarines attached to the US Indo-Pacific Command (USINDOPACOM). If this is indeed the case, then it shows how seriously the Trump administration views the situation developing in Venezuela, seeing as the US Navy would otherwise need as many of its advanced attack submarines deployed to the Indo-Pacific to counter the rising China as possible.
A nuclear-powered fast attack class of submarines (SSN), the Virginia-class was designed by the US Navy to replace older Los Angeles-class vessels, with around 22 currently in service and more under construction. It features advanced stealth technology, modular design for upgrades, fly-by-wire controls for improved maneuverability in shallow coastal (littoral) waters, enhanced sonar systems, and vertical launch tubes capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles for land-attack strikes. All these capabilities, of course, would be needed during any fight against Venezuela.
Additional capabilities include support for special operations forces insertion—almost certain to be a part of any operation against Maduro’s regime—as well as intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.
In any hypothetical conflict with Venezuela, the submarine’s stealth and long-endurance nuclear propulsion would enable undetected approaches to Venezuela’s Caribbean coastline for ISR, monitoring Venezuelan naval assets, or enforcing blockades to cut off supply lines. This submarine would be perfect for the mission set of countering the Venezuelan cartels or dismantling Maduro’s rule.
About the Author: Brandon J. Weichert
Brandon J. Weichert is a senior national security editor at The National Interest. Recently, Weichert became the host of The National Security Hour on America Outloud News and iHeartRadio, where he discusses national security policy every Wednesday at 8pm Eastern. He is also a contributor at Popular Mechanics and has consulted regularly with various government institutions and private organizations on geopolitical issues. Weichert’s writings have appeared in multiple publications, including The Washington Times, National Review, The American Spectator, MSN, The Asia Times, and others. His books include Winning Space: How America Remains a Superpower, Biohacked: China’s Race to Control Life, and The Shadow War: Iran’s Quest for Supremacy. His newest book, A Disaster of Our Own Making: How the West Lost Ukraine is available for purchase wherever books are sold. He can be followed via Twitter @WeTheBrandon.
Image: Wikimedia Commons.
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