US Army Reserve soldiers conduct military exercises at Camp Santiago in Puerto Rico

U.S. Army Reserve soldiers trained at Camp Santiago in Salinas, Puerto Rico on Saturday (January 10).

“Our soldiers are ready,” said Captain Martinez of the 402nd Civil Affairs Unit, an Army Reserve unit.

Martinez said the group achieved “over a 90% success rate” during the live-fire exercise, adding that they are prepared for deployment if ordered.

“I’ll let the politicians handle where they want to point us to," he said. "We are ready to go whenever they need us.”

Lieutenant Colonel John Bailey, commander of the 402nd Civil Affairs Battalion, emphasized that readiness is a constant requirement.

“The reality is our job is to always be ready… to answer our nation’s call at any time,” he said.

Specialist Munoz echoed that sentiment when asked about developments in Latin America and Venezuela.

“We're soldiers. We're ready to go anywhere… We’ll see what happens.”

Production: Ricardo Ortiz, Alexandra Sarabia/Reuters