The journey underscores the rising position of the US army buildup to strain Venezuela over alleged drug-trafficking operations.
America’ prime army officer traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday as Washington continues one among its largest naval deployments within the Caribbean in a long time, escalating tensions with Venezuela centred on alleged anti-drug operations.
Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Employees and President Donald Trump’s chief army adviser, met with troops stationed in Puerto Rico and on board a Navy warship in regional waters on Monday. Caine’s workplace stated the go to would enable him to “interact with service members and thank them for his or her excellent assist to regional missions”.
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It’s Caine’s second journey to the area because the Pentagon expanded its operations within the Caribbean, together with the deployment of the Gerald R Ford, the Navy’s latest and largest plane service. Through the first journey, US Protection Secretary Pete Hegseth stated the deployed Marines had been “on the entrance traces of defending the American homeland”.
An E/A-18G Growler plane lands on the flight deck of the world’s largest plane service, Ford-class plane service USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), throughout flight operations within the western Atlantic Ocean. U.S. army forces are deployed to the Caribbean in assist of… pic.twitter.com/QUWEUeCOAx
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 24, 2025
The operation comes as Trump considers additional measures in opposition to Venezuela, together with aggressive choices he has declined to rule out. The administration’s maritime strikes on vessels it says had been engaged in drug trafficking have killed at the very least 83 folks on 21 boats. No proof has been launched displaying narcotics had been on board, and authorized specialists say the strikes would possible violate worldwide legislation even when drug exercise had been confirmed.
Chatting with his advisers on Monday, Trump stated he plans to speak immediately with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro on an unidentified date.
Roughly 15,000 US personnel at the moment are within the Caribbean, amongst them Marines on amphibious ships and about 5,000 service members primarily based in Puerto Rico. Washington has additionally intensified joint drills with Trinidad and Tobago, launching a second spherical of workouts inside a month aimed toward curbing violent crime and drug trafficking.
Caine is anticipated to go to Trinidad and Tobago tomorrow to fulfill with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
Terror designation heightens strain
The US has elevated strain on Caracas by designating the Cartel de los Soles – or Cartel of the Suns – as a overseas terrorist organisation (FTO), regardless of the community not being a cartel within the typical sense. Till this yr, the FTO label was largely restricted to teams similar to al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) with political motives.
On Monday, Washington formally designated the Cartel de los Soles for allegedly delivery narcotics into the US. The administration says the community contains Maduro and senior Venezuelan officers, although it has supplied no proof. Venezuela denounced the transfer, calling it a “ridiculous” effort to sanction a “non-existent” group.
The designation follows earlier measures in opposition to eight Latin American legal organisations concerned in drug trafficking and migrant smuggling. US officers declare the Cartel de los Soles has collaborated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua gang – itself designated an FTO – to maneuver medicine northward.
Officers have not often recognized which teams they imagine are behind the boats focused by US strikes. Hegseth stated final week the brand new designation would offer a “complete bunch of latest choices to america” in coping with Maduro. Requested whether or not such choices may embody land strikes inside Venezuela, he stated “nothing is off the desk, however nothing’s mechanically on the desk.” Sanctions specialists have famous that the FTO statute doesn’t authorise army motion.
Caracas pushes again
Maduro’s authorities denies involvement in legal operations and accuses Washington of looking for regime change to regulate Venezuela’s assets.
“They need Venezuela’s oil and fuel reserves. For nothing, with out paying. They need Venezuela’s gold. They need Venezuela’s diamonds, iron, bauxite. They need Venezuela’s pure assets,” stated Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez on state tv.
International Minister Yvan Gil echoed that view, saying the US designation revives “an notorious and vile deceive justify an illegitimate and unlawful intervention in opposition to Venezuela”.
InSight Crime, a basis that analyses organised crime, has described the cartel narrative as an “oversimplification”, saying it “is extra precisely described as a system of corruption whereby army and political officers revenue by working with drug traffickers”.
The US marketing campaign has additionally drawn sharp home debate throughout the nation. A Reuters ballot urged that solely 29 p.c of People assist killing suspected traffickers with out judicial oversight. A former senior Treasury official stated FTO designations had been by no means supposed to justify army operations. “By no means had it been urged that by designating an entity as an FTO it will … meet the usual for army motion,” the official stated.
