The USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) departed Naval Station Mayport, Florida, heading south towards the Caribbean Sea during the reporting window of November 2nd, 2025, between 8:15 PM and 9:45 PM UTC, according to an update posted on X. The departure of the USS Fort Lauderdale occurs amidst a broader U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, which includes the deployment of an AN/TPS-75 air defense radar at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix and ongoing construction at commercial airports and airbases in the region. These activities are part of Operation Resilient Shield, a joint U.S. military-FEMA readiness drill simulating rapid humanitarian aid deployment that began on November 2nd, 2025. Earlier reports indicated the USS Fort Lauderdale had reported its signal, presumably heading towards the Mayport naval base, and had reportedly spent eight weeks deployed in the Caribbean Sea. The AN/TPS-75 radar system, described as a key component of the U.S. Air Force's tactical air defense, provides long-range data for up to a 240 nautical mile area. Satellite imagery has shown continued preparations by the U.S. Armed Forces in the Caribbean, indicating increasing likelihood of future escalation in the region, according to Reuters. Construction efforts to expand taxiways at the former Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Puerto Rico, where over a dozen tents are being used to house servicemembers, have also been observed. Additional construction at Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix includes tarmac expansion to accommodate more military aircraft and the temporary site for the deployed AN/TPS-75 radar. These developments align with Operation Resilient Shield, which began on November 2nd, 2025, and simulates rapid deployment for humanitarian aid in hurricane-prone areas, according to U.S. Southern Command and local Puerto Rican officials. Counterterrorism director Sebastian Gorka cited Iranian influence in Venezuela as a driver for the U.S. military buildup in the region, suggesting a focus beyond drug interdiction to countering alleged plots against the Trump administration. These military activities follow previous reports noting the appearance of "tent cities" at Roosevelt Roads, linked by defense analysis accounts to potential geopolitical escalations with Venezuela. Separately, on November 2nd, 1976, former submariner LT Jimmy Carter, USN defeated former surface warfare officer LCDR Gerald Ford, USNR to become the 39th President of the United States of America. Carter was the fifth of six presidents who served in the Navy, according to the Naval Institute.
