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Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & NatSec newsletter

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Defense &
National Security

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The Big Story

Pentagon sets its sights on Puerto Rico in combatting cartels

Top Pentagon officials made a surprise trip to Puerto Rico on Monday amid the Trump administration’s push to counter drug cartels in Latin America and the Caribbean Sea.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Joint Chiefs of Staff Chair Gen. Dan Caine visited the island territory in a trip announced by Puerto Rico Gov. Jenniffer González-Colón (R) in a social media post.

The visit comes after President Trump last week claimed a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean killed 11 drug smugglers. Trump has asserted the vessel was carrying narcotics from Venezuela and headed to the United States. Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has denied these accusations.

The U.S. also in recent weeks has moved forces and lethal assets into the Caribbean, including at least eight warships, an attack submarine, and more than 4,000 sailors and Marines. In addition, 10 F-35s were sent to the island late last week and are reportedly meant to conduct operations against designated narco-terrorist organizations.

The Pentagon did not announce Hegseth and Caine’s trip in advance and did not respond to a request for comment from The Hill.

Reuters first reported that the Pentagon is considering plans to use Puerto Rico in its operations against cartels in the region, including possibly conducting military flights out of the U.S. territory.

In her post to the social platform X, González-Colón hinted at the plans by thanking Trump “for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-dictator Nicolas Maduro.”

Tensions between the U.S. and Venezuela continue to soar after the administration’s purported strike on the vessel carrying an unknown amount of drugs. U.S. officials have not given any evidence of who and what was on the boat at the time of the attack.

Hegseth, Vice President Vance and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have said further strikes against drug cartels in Latin America are possible, with Vance on Saturday posting to X that “killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military.”

Read the full report at TheHill.com.

Welcome to The Hill’s Defense & National Security newsletter, I’m Ellen Mitchell — your guide to the latest developments at the Pentagon, on Capitol Hill and beyond.

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Essential Reads

How policy will affect defense and national security now and in
the future:

Trump praises West Point group for canceling event honoring Tom Hanks

President Trump on Monday celebrated the decision by a West Point alumni group to cancel an event to honor the actor Tom Hanks for his support of the military and veterans. “Our great West Point (getting greater all the time!) has smartly cancelled the Award Ceremony for actor Tom Hanks. Important move!” Trump wrote in a post on Truth Social. “We don’t need destructive, WOKE recipients getting our cherished …

Full Story

Paul slams Vance’s ‘despicable’ comments about alleged drug boat strike

Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.) took a swing at Vice President Vance on Saturday over comments Vance made about a strike on an alleged drug boat. “Killing cartel members who poison our fellow citizens is the highest and best use of our military,” Vance wrote in a Saturday morning post on the social platform X, referencing a U.S. military strike on a boat in the Caribbean Sea that the Trump administration has stated killed 11 Venezuelan …

Full Story

Duckworth says DHS fled Navy base near Chicago during visit from Democrats

Sen. Tammy Duckworth (D-Ill.) said Sunday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) fled a Navy base near Chicago during a visit from Democrats. Trump border czar Tom Homan confirmed late last month that the Trump administration was discussing using Naval Station Great Lakes, which is near Chicago, to back up immigration detention efforts. Duckworth said she, Illinois Sen. Dick Durbin (D) and Illinois Rep. Brad Schneider (D) …

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In Other News

Branch out with a different read from The Hill:

House Intel Democrats launch probe into Trump revocation of security clearances

Democrats on the House Intelligence Committee on Monday launched a probe into the Trump administration’s decision to revoke 37 officials’ security clearances, and questioned the rationale behind listing them publicly. Director of National Intelligence Tulsi Gabbard last month stripped clearances …

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On Our Radar

Upcoming things we’re watching in and around the defense world:

Axios will hold a discussion on “Future of Defense: Space, Satellites and Security,” with Sen. Elissa Slotkin (D-Mich.); Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas); Rep. Seth Moulton (D-Mass.) and Tory Bruno, CEO of United Launch Alliance, tomorrow at 8 a.m.
Politico will hold an in person and virtual discussion on “Policy Outlook: Cybersecurity,” at 8 a.m. tomorrow.
The Billington CyberSecurity Summit will be held starting tomorrow through Sept. 12, with White House National Cyber Director Sean Cairncross; Army CIO Leonel Garciga; Michael Duffy, federal chief information security officer of the Office of Management and Budget; Alexei Bulazel, special assistant to the president and senior director for cyber on the White House at the National Security Council; Navy CIO Jane Rathbun; and Jennifer Link, CIA chief information security officer.
Former CIA Director William Burns will speak on “U.S. Leadership in a Challenging World,” at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace at 9:15 a.m. tomorrow.
The House Oversight Committee’s Task Force on the Declassification of Federal Secrets will hear from veterans on the declassification of federal records regarding military sightings of unidentified flying objects at 10 a.m. tomorrow.
The Government Executive Media Group and Cisco will hold a virtual discussion on “Modernizing for AI: Building Secure Networks for Mission Impact,” tomorrow at 2 p.m.

What We’re Reading

News we’ve flagged from other outlets:

Republicans in Congress are eager for Trump to expand his use of the military on US soil (The Associated Press)
Transgender military kids face ‘profound harm’ from health care restrictions, lawsuit alleges (Military.com)
Pentagon plan prioritizes homeland over China threat (Politico)