Ongoing Military Operations Around Venezuela Cost $31 Million per Day—$2.8 Million Is Unbudgeted

Operation Southern Spear, now in its fourth month, has both a fiscal and an opportunity cost. 

  1. Sustaining military activity in the Caribbean is estimated to cost $31 million per day, most of which is covered by the FY 2026 defense budget. More flight hours, steaming days, and benefits for deployed personnel are expected to incur additional costs of roughly 10 percent over the operating budget—or about $2.8 million per day.
  2. The Department of Defense has two existing sources to cover unbudgeted expenses: It could cut other planned activities or draw from the $1 billion appropriated by the One Big Beautiful Bill Act “to support border operations.” The Trump administration could also ask Congress for a supplemental appropriation, but that is unlikely.
  3. Operation Southern Spear also carries significant opportunity costs. Around 38 percent of Navy ships underway and available for missions are in the Caribbean—assets that could have been sent to other geopolitical hotspots, like the Persian Gulf or the Western Pacific. There are no zero-cost options in the world of force allocation. The trade-offs may increasingly come to light as Trump contemplates renewed military action against Iran. 

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Chris H. Park

Chris H. Park

Research Associate, Arleigh A. Burke Chair in Strategy

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