The Trump administration has imposed a blockade on Venezuelan oil tankers and intensified airstrikes against suspected drug-smuggling vessels in the Caribbean. These actions have fuelled speculation about a possible campaign aimed at removing President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2024 election victory is not recognised by the United States.
As part of the buildup, the U.S. has reactivated the long-closed Roosevelt Roads Naval Station in Ceiba, deploying Air Force and Marine units and conducting military exercises in recent weeks. Puerto Rico’s ports and airfields are now being used as key hubs for refuelling, resupply and surveillance, with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Dan Caine having visited troops there twice in the past month.
The expanded presence, described by critics as going beyond counter-narcotics operations, includes special-operations aircraft, troops and equipment deployed to the region this week. According to The Wall Street Journal, at least 10 CV-22 Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft flew into the Caribbean on Monday night from Cannon Air Force Base in New Mexico.
A carrier strike group is also operating in the Caribbean, led by the USS Gerald R. Ford and supported by Arleigh Burke-class destroyers. Aircraft aboard the carrier include F/A-18E/F Super Hornets from four fighter squadrons, operating alongside a U.S. Air Force B-52 Stratofortress.
Source: Newsweek.
