A senior US Army officer visits the Caribbean as Trump pressures Venezuela

The country’s top military officer will visit Puerto Rico on Monday and is one of several Navy warships sent to the Caribbean Sea to combat drug trafficking as the Trump administration evaluates the possibility of doing so. A broader military campaign Against Venezuela.

The stated reason for the officer’s trip, General Dan KaneThe Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff is scheduled to thank the troops before Thanksgiving, according to two US officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss details of the operations.

But Keane was one of the main architects of what the Pentagon calls Operation Southern ShaftIt is the largest build-up of US naval forces in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis and the blockade of Cuba in 1962.

The general is expected to consult with commanders on Navy preparations, one of the officials said.

The USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last week, and there are now 15,000 troops in the region, including Marines aboard amphibious ships and about 5,000 troops at military bases in Puerto Rico.

Kane’s visit comes at a time when Pres Donald Trump The United States has agreed to several measures to pressure Venezuela and prepare for possible military action, according to several people familiar with the matter.

Trump authorized CIA plans to carry out covert actions inside Venezuela, operations that could be intended to pave the way for future actions, according to these sources.

At the same time, they announced that they had authorized a new round of… Informal negotiations Which, at some point, led to the Venezuelan president, Nicolas MaduroTo submit his resignation after a delay of two years, a proposal that was rejected by the White House.

It is unclear what the secret measures are or when they will occur.

Trump has not authorized the deployment of combat forces to Venezuela, so the next phase of the administration’s increasing pressure campaign against the Maduro government could consist of: Sabotage, cyber, psychological or information operations.

The US Navy routinely positions warships near the coast of Venezuela in locations far from major drug trafficking routes in the Caribbean, signaling that reinforcements are focused on… More on the pressure campaign against Venezuela compared to the anti-narcotics operation that the Trump administration says it is carrying out.

The cruisers and destroyers constantly sailed in an area ranging from 80 to 160 kilometers off the Venezuelan coast, according to an analysis of satellite images provided and verified by him. New York Times.

While some cocaine is smuggled in this area, it is located hundreds of kilometers east of the busiest smuggling routes, which, according to US government data, are located off the coast of neighboring Colombia.

The United States has launched 21 known attacks on ships that the Trump administration said were carrying drugs, killing at least 83 people.

Trump claimed that extensive intelligence justified the attacks, but administration officials did not provide detailed evidence of the cargo the ships were carrying.

US officials also did not explain why neither Colombia nor Mexico – the main source country for fentanyl – were within the Navy’s range.

Administration officials say Trump has not yet decided on further military action, although he announced several weeks ago that ground attacks on Venezuelan targets were coming.

Various forms of such attacks — against drug trafficking facilities, military forces or Maduro’s inner circle — were discussed in the run-up to national security meetings this week, according to authorities.

So far, the attacks have only targeted small speedboats in international waters that the administration says are operated by drug terrorists, without providing evidence.

The army is not permitted to intentionally kill civilians, even those suspected of crimes.

Some human rights activists, and some families of the deceased, claim that the attacks constitute state-sponsored murders.

Kane’s visit comes at a time when the army has intensified its role in a multi-faceted pressure campaign.

With Ford now in the Caribbean, F/A-18 fighters have been conducting flyovers in the region, some near the Venezuelan coast.

In addition, Air Force B-1 and B-52 bombers, armed with dozens of precision-guided bombs, flew regular training missions off the Venezuelan coast.

Forces from the United States and Trinidad and Tobago began joint military exercises in recent days, the second series in a month, aimed at reducing violent crime and drug trafficking in the Caribbean nation. Marines from Expeditionary Unit 22 are participating from Navy ships sailing in the area.

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