Top US military adviser tours Caribbean as pressure on Venezuela deepens

The top military officer of the United States traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday as Venezuela’s largest naval deployment in the Caribbean for decades escalates tensions with Venezuela, which are alleged to be a result of anti-drug operations.

On Monday, Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the chief military adviser to Donald Trump, met with military personnel stationed in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in regional waters. Caine’s office stated that he would be able to “interact with service members and express gratitude to them for their outstanding support of regional missions” during the visit.

Caine’s second visit to the area comes after the Pentagon expanded its operations in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the Navy’s largest and most recent aircraft carrier, the Gerald R Ford. US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth stated that the Marines were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland” during their first deployment.

During flight operations in the western Atlantic Ocean, an E/A-18G Growler aircraft lands on the flight deck of the largest aircraft carrier of the Ford class, USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78). In order to support… pic. U.S. military forces are stationed in the Caribbean. twitter.com/QUWEUeCOAx

Trump is considering additional measures against Venezuela, including aggressive options that he has declined to exclude. At least 83 people have died on 21 boats as a result of the administration’s maritime strikes on ships it claims were drug traffickers. Legal experts claim that the strikes would likely violate international law if drug trafficking was proven even though there is no proof that narcotics were aboard.

Trump said in a statement to his advisers on Monday that he intends to speak with Venezuela’s president on an unspecified date.

Marines on amphibious ships and about 5, 000 service members with bases in Puerto Rico are just a few thousand US personnel currently stationed in the Caribbean. A second round of exercises, starting in a month, will be conducted in Washington and Trinidad and Tobago in an effort to combat violent crime and drug trafficking.

Tomorrow, Caine will meet with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar in Trinidad and Tobago.

Pressure is increased by the terrorist designation.

Despite the fact that Caracas is not a cartel in the traditional sense, the US has increased its influence on the region by defining the Cartel de los Soles (or Cartel of the Suns) as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). Prior to this year, organizations with political goals, including al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS), were largely exempt from the FTO label.

Washington officially designated the Cartel de los Soles on Monday for allegedly importing drugs into the US. Despite lacking any evidence, the administration claims that Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials are included in the network. The action was denounced by Venezuela, calling it a “ridiculous” attempt to sanction a “non-existent” group.

Eight Latin American criminal organizations linked to migrant smuggling and drug trafficking have been given this designation in response to earlier laws. According to US officials, the Cartel de los Soles and the Tren de Aragua gang in Venezuela have collaborated to move drugs north.

Officials haven’t been able to identify the organizations behind the US strikes’ target boats. The new designation, according to Headseth, will give the United States “a whole host of new options” when dealing with Maduro. When asked whether such options might include land attacks inside Venezuela, he replied that “nothing is off the table, but nothing comes naturally.” According to experts, the FTO statute does not authorize military action.

Caracas backs away.

The Maduro government claims to have participated in criminal activities and accuses Washington of attempting to overthrow Venezuela’s resources.

Venezuela’s oil and gas reserves are desired. without having to pay anything. Venezuela’s gold is their desire. They want Venezuela’s iron, diamond, and bauxite. On state television, oil minister Delcy Rodriguez expressed his desire for Venezuela’s natural resources.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil echoed that sentiment, claiming that the US designation is the result of “an infamous and vile lie” being used to justify Venezuela’s illegitimate and unlawful intervention.

The cartel narrative, according to InSight Crime, an organization that looks at organized crime, is “more accurately described as a system of corruption where military and political officials profit from working with drug traffickers.”