Marines, sailors, and coast guards from the 24th Marine Combat Force conducted a rehearsal for a Maritime Interdiction Operation aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale in the Caribbean Sea, as part of Operation Southern Lance, according to a report by the Southern Marine Corps Forces Command.
The exercise, conducted on May 22 aboard the USS Fort Lauderdale, included fast rope descents from UH-1Y Venom helicopters to the ship's deck.
In parallel, MV-22B Osprey aircraft from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 263 Reinforced demonstrated their aviation capabilities aboard the USS Iwo Jima, also in support of the same operation.
The images of the military exercises were released this Monday and shared by the U.S. Southern Command.
The 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit has approximately 1,300 marines and sailors, who took on the mission of Southern Command on May 29 relieving the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit after nearly ten months of deployment.
The force operates primarily from the Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico, which has been reactivated for this deployment.
The Operation Southern Lance is officially presented as a campaign against drug trafficking and illegal networks in the Western Hemisphere, although its exact scope is classified.
The original amphibious group —USS Iwo Jima, USS San Antonio, and USS Fort Lauderdale— deployed in August 2025 with more than 4,000 personnel, including about 2,200 Marines.
Exercises at a time of maximum tension between Washington and Havana
In May, Southern Command deployed the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group in the Caribbean and conducted planning exercises for contingency scenarios in Cuba. Additionally, designated the Guantanamo naval base as a "vital axis" of its regional operations.
The Cuban regime responded with a propaganda campaign from the Ministry of Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) filled with warlike messages.
On May 4th, he published "For Cuba, there is no alternative, victory or death"; the next day he spread "The ceasefire order will never be given" alongside an image of a missile; and on May 28th he showcased elite troops with the warning "War should not be provoked, but we will fight if the enemy imposes it."
Díaz-Canel also invoked the doctrine of the "War of All the People" in response to what he described as a possible U.S. military aggression.
Meanwhile, military analysts pointed out that the movements of the U.S. near Cuba represent a sign of deliberate strategic pressure.
The Southern Command also tested military plans in case Cuba descends into chaos, according to regional press reports, while the head of the Southern Command personally oversaw the security of the Guantanamo naval base on May 30.
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