Qatar Pushes U.S.-Venezuela Diplomacy as Trump Focuses on Military Action NYT | Top Stories By: Edward Wong, Eric Schmitt and Julie Turkewitz 9 October 2025 at 07:53 The Pentagon has deployed 10,000 U.S. troops to the region, most of them to bases in Puerto Rico, a senior military official said. © Ricardo Arduengo/ReutersThe Fort Lauderdale, a Navy amphibious transport ship, off the coast of Puerto Rico this week. Since early September, the U.S. military has carried out at least four lethal strikes on civilian boats.