Author: La Tabla/Platform of Data Journalism 17 OCT 2025
Recent social media updates from the amphibious ship USS Iwo Jima and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), deployed in the Caribbean for two months, showcase an activities that diverge from the officially assigned mission: combatting drug trafficking in the region under the command of the US Southern Command.
The USS Iwo Jima’s official account has shared images of aerial operations with heavy-lift helicopters, accompanied by a message emphasizing that the crew’s mission is to “protect the American way of life.”
This formulation, loaded with a strong ideological component, goes beyond the technical framework of drug interdiction and reflects a broader political and strategic commitment.
Meanwhile, the 22nd MEU has released photos of training exercises in Puerto Rico, showing its members performing close-quarters combat exercises and non-combatant evacuation operations.
Such practices correspond to urban warfare scenarios and special operations, with little direct connection to the proclaimed task of curbing drug trafficking.
The contradiction between the official communication and the on-ground actions suggest these units—transported by three amphibious ships, the USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale—serve a wider role within a power projection campaign.
Regionally, these posts can be seen as part of a psychological operation aimed at demoralizing the Venezuelan populace, insinuating the imminent presence of military forces on their coasts.
Simultaneously, for the American public, the message reinforces the notion that Marines are acting in defense of the nation’s collective interests, portraying governments like those of Nicolás Maduro or Hugo Chávez as threats to the “American way of life.”
In the international sphere, it communicates that the military hegemony of the United States in the hemisphere is a daily reality that the rest of the world must adapt to.
In summary, the publications from the USS Iwo Jima and the 22nd MEU not only showcase inconsistency between the formal mission and visible actions but also reveal a communication effort directed at multiple audiences: to intimidate, unify, and reaffirm Washington’s strategy in the region.