At the direction of U.S. Southern Command, assigned U.S. military forces are supporting Department of State-led U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the June 24, 2026, earthquakes.

July 2, 2026

U.S. Navy Ships Support Disaster Relief Operations in Venezuela

La Guaira, Venezuela — The San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) and Freedom-variant littoral combat ship USS Billings (LCS 15) have arrived in the region to provide rapid, life-saving humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

A Marine wearing a camouflage uniform, a helmet and protective face gear looks through large piles of debris with other people wearing civilian clothes during the day.

July 1, 2026

U.S. Military Supports Venezuela Earthquake Response

U.S. service members are on the ground in Venezuela, delivering assistance where it is needed most following two devastating earthquakes June 24. 

U.S. Airmen with the 156th Contingency Response Group board a C-17 Globemaster III assigned to the 105th Airlift Wing, New York Air National Guard, at Muñiz Air National Guard Base, Carolina, Puerto Rico, Jan. 31, 2025.

July 1, 2026

Puerto Rico Guard Aids With Venezuela Earthquake Response

The Puerto Rico Air National Guard, 156th Contingency Response Group is helping with humanitarian assistance operations led by U.S. Southern Command in Venezuela after recent earthquakes in that country.

A U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24, prepares to land during an aerial damage assessment flight, at Simón Bolívar International Airport, Caracas, Venezuela, June 28, 2026. At the direction of U.S. Southern Command, assigned U.S. military forces are supporting Department of State-led U.S. disaster assistance to the people of Venezuela in the aftermath of the June 24, 2026, earthquakes. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

June 30, 2026

Marines, Sailors of Littoral Combat Force support U.S. interagency earthquake response in Venezuela

CARACAS, VENEZUELA — Following two earthquakes off the northern coast of Venezuela on June 24 the United States mobilized a humanitarian response at the request of the Venezuelan government. To support U.S. Southern Command’s rapid deployment of personnel and specialized equipment into the disaster zone, Littoral Combat Force 24 transitioned from scheduled regional security missions to support the U.S. government’s disaster response operation.

U.S. Army Capt. Brad Daniels-Demers, a nurse practitioner with the Massachusetts Army Guard’s Medical Detachment, listens to a patient’s lungs with a stethoscope at Unidad de Salud Familiar Niño de Jesús in Asuncion, Paraguay June 18, 2026, as part of exercise Amistad 2026.

June 22, 2026

Guard Members From Six States Bring Medical Expertise to Paraguay for Exercise Amistad

Friendship, or amistad in Spanish, brings more than 20 National Guard medical professionals from throughout the country to Paraguay, but this is more than a cultural exchange. The seasoned practitioners brought thousands of hours of clinical experience to share with Paraguayan medical professionals and offer care to locals during exercise Amistad 2026.

Official logo of U.S. Southern Command.

June 17, 2026

U.S., Honduran forces strengthen partnership during medical brigade in Villa de San Antonio

VILLA DE SAN ANTONIO, Honduras — U.S. service members assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo supported a Honduran-led medical brigade, providing care to hundreds of local residents while strengthening bilateral partnerships and enhancing medical readiness training at Escuela Nicolas Montes, Villa de San Antonio, Honduras, June 6. The event brought together U.S. military personnel, the

Official logo of U.S. Southern Command.

June 9, 2026

U.S., Honduran forces strengthen intelligence partnership during exchange in Tegucigalpa

TEGUCIGALPA, Honduras — U.S. service members assigned to Joint Task Force-Bravo conducted a subject matter expert exchange with Honduran counterparts from May 19-21 at the Dirección de Información Estratégica, reinforcing bilateral cooperation and advancing intelligence capabilities.

Official logo of U.S. Southern Command.

June 9, 2026

LCF-24 Conducts Simultaneous Joint Air and Sea Operations, Showcasing Advanced Capabilities in the Caribbean

CARIBBEAN SEA — Littoral Combat Force 24 (LCF-24) demonstrated its operational versatility and joint-force interoperability June 4, 2026, executing two highly complex, concurrent training missions spanning from the flight deck of the USS Fort Lauderdale(LPD-28) to the shores of Cuba.

U.S. Army South inactivation ceremony

June 1, 2026

Historic Army South inactivation paves way for U.S. Army Western Hemisphere Command

SAN ANTONIO, Texas — U.S. Army South, also designated as Sixth Army, officially cased its colors during an inactivation ceremony at Trinity University’s Laurie Auditorium on May 29. This transition marks a significant step in a historic modernization effort that consolidates three former commands into a single, unified four-star operational headquarters: the United States Army Western Hemisphere Command.

A U.S. Sailor assigned to the San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD 28) gives a send-off salute as a U.S. Marine Corps UH-1Y Venom assigned to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), Littoral Combat Force-24, takes off during night deck landing qualifications while underway in the Caribbean Sea, May 19, 2026. U.S. military forces are deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility in support of Operation SOUTHERN SPEAR, Department of War-directed operations, and the president’s priorities to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter malign actors and protect the homeland through continuous presence. (U.S. Marine Corps photo)

May 29, 2026

24th Marine Expeditionary Unit Assumes the Watch as Littoral Combat Force-24, Advancing Operation Southern Spear in USSOUTHCOM AOR

PUERTO RICO — The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has officially assumed the mission as the premier tactical force-in-readiness within the U.S. Southern Command Area of Responsibility. Operating under the designation of Littoral Combat Force-24, the command offers tactical options via an agile Marine Air-Ground Task Force of over 1,300 Marines and Sailors to the theater. Commanded by U.S. Marine Corps Col. Ryan Lynch, LCF-24 is directly nested under Joint Force Maritime Component Command and Joint Task Force 84-2 to support Operation Southern Spear.

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