The government of Trinidad and Tobago, led by Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, authorized the installation of a US military radar on the island of Tobago.
The decision, presented as part of a surveillance plan against drug trafficking, has generated regional concern due to its proximity to Venezuelan territory.
Local witnesses have reported the continued presence of US Marines in Tobago hotels, while aerial tracking systems confirm the landing of military aircraft at the ANR Robinson International Airport and who carried out joint exercises with the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force.
The radar will allow constant monitoring of activities inside and outside Venezuelan airspace.
Although Persad-Bissessar assured that his country would not serve as “basis for no war against Venezuela”, the strategic location of the device suggests an objective of pressure on Caracas.
The installation coincides with recent statements by US President Donald Trump, who warned of military actions against alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers.
In response, President Nicolás Maduro expressed the willingness of Venezuelan aviation to defend territorial integrity. The Caribbean community watches with concern as Trinidad and Tobago becomes a key point of US interventionism, at a time of open tensions between Washington and Caracas.
“Innocent maneuvers”
The sectoral vice president of defense and Sovereignty, Vladimir Padrino López, stated on November 22 that no one will take away the right of the Venezuelan people to live in peace and continue building their independence, despite the direct threats that the country suffers with the deployment of the United States in the Caribbean.
In this context, the Minister for Defense criticized the military exercises carried out by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago in Caribbean waters, and said that it is not about “innocent maneuvers”.
“These waters are not moving right now because of their natural tide, but because there is the presence of destroyers, of amphibious ships (…) invading the tranquility of the Trinidadian people,” and with the sole objective of “threatening” Venezuela, but “none of that is going to take away our peace of mind.”
“Innocent maneuvers, that does not exist,” he said, explaining that planned maneuvers can be carried out, “but in this case it is an aggression against the dignity of the people of Venezuela.”
