Senior U.S. Military Officials Visit the Caribbean

Senior US military officials held talks with leaders of several Caribbean countries on Wednesday as part of the Trump administration’s increased focus on drug trafficking operations in Latin America. The meetings also come as US president Donald Trump considers possible next steps in his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the Trump administration has accused of heading a criminal organization that oversees drug trafficking into the United States.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Dominican President Luis Abinader and Defense Minister Carlos Antonio Fernandez Onofre on Wednesday to “strengthen defense relations and reaffirm America’s commitment to defending the homeland.”

Senior US military officials held talks with leaders of several Caribbean countries on Wednesday as part of the Trump administration’s increased focus on drug trafficking operations in Latin America. The meetings also come as US President Donald Trump considers possible next steps in his pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, who the Trump administration has accused of heading a criminal organization that oversees drug trafficking into the United States.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Dominican President Luis Abinader and Defense Minister Carlos Antonio Fernandez Onofre on Wednesday to “strengthen defense relations and reaffirm America’s commitment to defending the homeland.”

On the same day, General Dan Kean, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar of Trinidad and Tobago, where the two exchanged views on challenges affecting the Caribbean region, including the destabilizing effects of illicit drugs, weapons, human trafficking, and the activities of transnational criminal organizations. This is the second time that Ken has visited the region since the US military began the anti-drug trafficking operation there.

In early September, the United States began launching strikes on alleged drug smuggling boats. Since then, Washington has carried out 21 known attacks on ships in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 83 people. Meanwhile, Trump ordered a massive military buildup in the region. About 15,000 US troops are now deployed in the Caribbean, including about 5,000 in Puerto Rico. This is the largest US military presence in the region in decades.

On Tuesday, Trump raised the possibility of talks with Maduro to calm tensions. Experts say Trump’s operation in the Caribbean is part of a larger effort to remove Maduro that could see direct US military action against Venezuela.

Read more in today’s Global Brief: Senior US military officials meet with Caribbean leaders.