Trump’s Caribbean surge nears $3 billion price tag so far

Fortune

by Jamie Tarabay, Roxana Tiron, Bloomberg

February 15, 2026

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The Trump administration’s military operation in the Caribbean, which included capturing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro and his wife, has come under scrutiny for its escalating costs. While initially framed as a low-cost, high-impact operation, Bloomberg calculations reveal that deploying ships and forces in the region peaked at over $20 million daily from mid-November to mid-January. Although much of this funding comes from allocated defense budgets, additional expenses for flight hours, weapons use, and extra pay add significant costs with no contingency fund available for unexpected operations, according to Mark Cancian of the Center for Strategic and International Studies. The deployment involved dozens of US Navy ships, fighter jets, drones, and logistics vessels, part of a buildup called Southern Spear. At its height, 20% of the Navy’s surface fleet was tied up in the region, diverting critical resources from other global hotspots. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, alone cost $11.4 million daily to deploy, along with supporting destroyers and submarines. Amphibious ready groups and logistics vessels added millions more each day. Elaine McCusker of the American Enterprise Institute estimates the total operational costs since August 2025 could exceed $2 billion. Despite the White House’s claim that no extra taxpayer money was spent, the diversion of these forces has raised concerns about strained budgets and reduced capacity elsewhere. The USS Ford was recently redeployed to the Middle East amid tensions with Iran, but the Caribbean mission remains ongoing without a clear end date. This prolonged presence could further stretch already limited resources, potentially impacting other critical missions worldwide. For businesses and investors, this situation highlights the financial strain on defense budgets and the potential reallocation of resources away from other priorities like economic stability or global trade initiatives. The costs associated with such operations underscore the broader challenges of managing military expenditures during a time of heightened geopolitical activity, ultimately affecting public

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Originally published on Fortune on 2/15/2026