Top US military adviser tours Caribbean as pressure on Venezuela deepens

The travel underscores the increasing relation of the US subject buildup to unit Venezuela implicit alleged drug-trafficking operations.

The United States’ apical subject serviceman traveled to Puerto Rico connected Monday arsenic Washington continues 1 of its largest naval deployments successful the Caribbean successful decades, escalating tensions with Venezuela centred connected alleged anti-drug operations.

Dan Caine, president of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Donald Trump’s main subject adviser, met with troops stationed successful Puerto Rico and connected committee a Navy warship successful determination waters connected Monday. Caine’s bureau said the sojourn would let him to “engage with work members and convey them for their outstanding enactment to determination missions”.

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It is Caine’s 2nd travel to the portion since the Pentagon expanded its operations successful the Caribbean, including the deployment of the Gerald R Ford, the Navy’s newest and largest craft carrier. During the archetypal trip, US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the deployed Marines were “on the beforehand lines of defending the American homeland”.

An E/A-18G Growler craft lands connected the formation platform of the world's largest craft carrier, Ford-class craft bearer USS Gerald R. Ford (CVN 78), during formation operations successful the occidental Atlantic Ocean. U.S. subject forces are deployed to the Caribbean successful enactment of… pic.twitter.com/QUWEUeCOAx

— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 24, 2025

The cognition comes arsenic Trump considers further measures against Venezuela, including assertive options helium has declined to regularisation out. The administration’s maritime strikes connected vessels it says were engaged successful cause trafficking person killed astatine slightest 83 radical connected 21 boats. No grounds has been released showing narcotics were connected board, and ineligible experts accidental the strikes would apt interruption planetary instrumentality adjacent if cause enactment were proven.

Speaking to his advisers connected Monday, Trump said helium plans to speech straight with Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro connected an unidentified date.

Roughly 15,000 US unit are present successful the Caribbean, among them Marines connected amphibious ships and astir 5,000 work members based successful Puerto Rico. Washington has besides intensified associated drills with Trinidad and Tobago, launching a 2nd circular of exercises wrong a period aimed astatine curbing convulsive transgression and cause trafficking.

Caine is expected to sojourn Trinidad and Tobago time to conscionable with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.

The US Navy’s Gerald R Ford Carrier Strike Group, including the flagship USS Gerald R Ford, USS Winston S Churchill, USS Mahan and USS Bainbridge, sail towards the Caribbean Sea nether F/A-18E/F Super Hornets and a US Air Force B-52 Stratofortress, successful the Atlantic Ocean, November 13, 2025 [Petty Officer 3rd Class Gladjimi Balisage/Reuters]

Terror designation heightens pressure

The US has accrued unit connected Caracas by designating the Cartel de los Soles – oregon Cartel of the Suns – arsenic a overseas violent organisation (FTO), contempt the web not being a cartel successful the accepted sense. Until this year, the FTO statement was mostly constricted to groups specified arsenic al-Qaeda and ISIL (ISIS) with governmental motives.

On Monday, Washington formally designated the Cartel de los Soles for allegedly shipping narcotics into the US. The medication says the web includes Maduro and elder Venezuelan officials, though it has provided nary evidence. Venezuela denounced the move, calling it a “ridiculous” effort to authorisation a “non-existent” group.

The designation follows earlier measures against 8 Latin American transgression organisations progressive successful cause trafficking and migrant smuggling. US officials assertion the Cartel de los Soles has collaborated with Venezuela’s Tren de Aragua pack – itself designated an FTO – to determination drugs northward.

Officials person seldom identified which groups they judge are down the boats targeted by US strikes. Hegseth said past week the caller designation would supply a “whole clump of caller options to the United States” successful dealing with Maduro. Asked whether specified options mightiness see onshore strikes wrong Venezuela, helium said “nothing is disconnected the table, but nothing’s automatically connected the table.” Sanctions experts person noted that the FTO statute does not authorise subject action.

Caracas pushes back

Maduro’s authorities denies engagement successful transgression operations and accuses Washington of seeking authorities alteration to power Venezuela’s resources.

“They privation Venezuela’s lipid and state reserves. For nothing, without paying. They privation Venezuela’s gold. They privation Venezuela’s diamonds, iron, bauxite. They privation Venezuela’s earthy resources,” said Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez connected authorities television.

Foreign Minister Yvan Gil echoed that view, saying the US designation revives “an infamous and vile prevarication to warrant an illegitimate and amerciable involution against Venezuela”.

InSight Crime, a instauration that analyses organised crime, has described the cartel communicative arsenic an “oversimplification”, saying it “is much accurately described arsenic a strategy of corruption wherein subject and governmental officials nett by moving with cause traffickers”.

The US run has besides drawn crisp home statement wrong the country. A Reuters canvass suggested that lone 29 percent of Americans enactment sidesplitting suspected traffickers without judicial oversight. A erstwhile elder Treasury authoritative said FTO designations were ne'er intended to warrant subject operations. “Never had it been suggested that by designating an entity arsenic an FTO it would … conscionable the modular for subject action,” the authoritative said.