Twin earthquakes of magnitude 7.2 and 7.5 struck northern Venezuela last Wednesday, toppling buildings and trapping thousands beneath rubble. Venezuelan authorities reported a death toll approaching 2,000, with the figure continuing to rise as search operations proceed.

The United States has established a substantial military presence in and around the country to support relief efforts, according to General Francis Donovan, commander of US Southern Command. More than 900 American service members are operating inside Venezuela, with a further 800 positioned at Caribbean logistics hubs in Puerto Rico and Curaçao. US forces have participated in search-and-rescue missions, helped reopen the main airport, and mobilised air and naval assets to facilitate the arrival of humanitarian aid. At least four or five MQ-9 Reaper drones are flying over Venezuelan territory, feeding intelligence to a fusion cell in Miami that is assisting local authorities in identifying damaged infrastructure and open routes.

The deployment marks a sharp reversal from the US military’s 3 January raid that captured then-president Nicolás Maduro and flew him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges. Since the earthquakes, Washington has described “total compliance” from the interim authorities led by Delcy Rodríguez, who was installed by Venezuela’s Supreme Court. A State Department official said every US request had been immediately granted, and noted an outpouring of public support for American personnel on the ground. The US has also mobilised $150 million in humanitarian relief and deployed a Disaster Assistance Response Team with urban search-and-rescue specialists.

Venezuelan government agencies have faced criticism from residents and local media for failing to deploy heavy equipment and specialised teams quickly enough, leaving families to dig with their hands in the crucial first days. General Donovan acknowledged that decades of mismanagement had degraded national infrastructure, complicating the response. The US military has stated it is not preparing for a long-term ground mission and will withdraw once relief operations conclude. The broader American assistance effort is being led by the State Department, and no timeline has been set for the military’s departure.