The United States Southern Command shared a video this Monday on its official X account, showcasing the tactical capabilities of the 24th Security Combat Force (LCF-24), an elite unit deployed in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility to support operations against drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere.
The publication shows several Marines in a tactical position on the deck of an amphibious ship, while a Bell UH-1Y Venom—tail number 63 and marked with "MARINES" on the fuselage—hovers at low altitude with the side doors open.
The personnel on deck are equipped with complete tactical gear: helmets, vests, radios, backpacks, night vision goggles, and assault rifles, wearing MARPAT camouflage uniforms from the Marine Corps.
SOUTHCOM accompanied the image with the message: "Always ready: the Marines and sailors of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit continuously demonstrate their readiness and elite combat skills while deployed in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility."
The institution also specified that the LCF-24 "supports Operation Southern Spear, operations led by the Department of Defense, and the priorities of the president to disrupt illegal drug trafficking and protect the homeland through continuous presence."
The LCF-24 is the operational redesignation of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit, which officially took on the mission on May 29 replacing the 22nd MEU after nearly ten months of deployment. It is under the command of Colonel Ryan Lynch and consists of more than 1,300 Marines and sailors organized as a Marine Air-Ground Task Force (MAGTF).
The unit operates from the Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico —reactivated in November 2025 with an investment of 79 million dollars— and aboard the amphibious transport ship USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28).
The LCF-24 is certified for rapid response operations, including embassy reinforcement, tactical recovery of aircraft and personnel, and maritime interdiction.
The Southern Spear Operation was launched on January 28, 2025, as a maritime surveillance mission and officially expanded on November 13 of that year by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth as a campaign against narco-terrorism.
Since September 2025 to date, the operation has carried out at least 62 airstrikes, destroying 63 vessels and resulting in over 208 deaths among suspected drug traffickers.
Just one day before the publication of SOUTHCOM, the Joint Task Force Southern Spear destroyed a drug boat in the Caribbean, resulting in two deaths and six survivors.
On June 12, an attack from the campaign resulted in the death of Niño Guerrero, leader of the Tren de Aragua, in coordination with Venezuelan authorities, marking one of the most significant blows of the operation so far.
The general Francis L. Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, summarized the institution's stance last March: "It is time for our partners to take decisive action against this scourge of narco-terrorism."
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