A United States warship has arrived in Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation situated near Venezuela, as tensions between Washington and Caracas continue to rise. The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, reached the capital city of Port of Spain on Sunday. It was accompanied by US Marines and is set to participate in planned joint military exercises.
The USS Gravely is equipped with advanced weapons systems and can operate helicopters. Its recent operations have included counter-narcotics missions. The ship’s arrival near Venezuela coincides with the ongoing increase in the U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, where Washington has conducted controversial and deadly strikes against boats it claims are involved in drug trafficking.
The escalating tension between the two nations intensified on Friday when the Pentagon confirmed the deployment of the USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the region. Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who was re-elected last year, has accused the U.S. of fabricating a conflict against him. Without providing evidence, the Trump administration has accused Maduro of leading the organized crime group Tren de Aragua.
In Port of Spain, Al Jazeera reporter Julia Galiano noted that the Trinidadian government sought to reassure its citizens that the warship’s arrival should not cause concern. The country’s defense minister stated that joint military operations are routine and that the U.S. vessel’s presence does not signal an impending conflict. However, local residents expressed reservations about the situation.
Galiano reported that many locals were fearful of what the warship’s presence could mean for their country. In a Sunday market, individuals told her they were anxious about potential consequences. Similar concerns were voiced by Trinidadians who spoke with news agencies. One resident, 64-year-old Daniel Holder, said, “If anything happens with Venezuela and America, we as people who live on the outskirts of it… could end up getting a lash any time.” He added, “I am against my country being part of this.”
Javed Ali, an associate professor at the University of Michigan specializing in national security, told Al Jazeera that the U.S. actions in the region involve a significant projection of military force aimed at pressuring the Maduro regime. He noted that it is difficult to determine the White House’s exact intentions, but he emphasized that the current U.S. military presence is insufficient for an invasion of Venezuela.
“Looking at how the U.S. has conducted wars in the past, it would not be with a small footprint like this,” Ali said. As part of its anti-drug efforts, the U.S. deployed eight navy ships, 10 F-35 warplanes, and a nuclear-powered submarine to the region in August, marking its largest military buildup in the area since the 1989 invasion of Panama.
On Saturday, Venezuela’s Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino announced that the country had begun coastal defense exercises to protect itself from “large-scale military threats.”
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