Pentagon officials confirmed that, after the operation, Washington began a gradual reduction of its fleet in the southern Caribbean.
MIAMI.- The United States has begun to redistribute part of its naval deployment in the Caribbean, placing strategic units a short distance from the northern coast of Cuba, a sign that maintains regional pressure despite the partial withdrawal of forces.
The amphibious ships USS Iwo Jima and USS San Antonio, protagonists of the operation that led to the capture of the former Venezuelan president, were moved to the Atlantic and now remain under the jurisdiction of the US Southern Command. Although they are no longer concentrated off Venezuela, their new location allows for rapid reactivation if the scenario demands it.
According to information disclosed by The Washington Post, These ships have not left the theater of operations and could be repositioned at any time. The movement coincides with internal debates in Donald Trump’s administration about a possible deployment of ground troops in Venezuelan territory, in an environment still marked by instability and surveillance over Cuba, a historical ally of Caracas.
The movement of the ships occurs shortly after the administration of the president of the United States, Donald Trump, shared the interim president of Venezuela, Delcy Rodrigueza list of conditions so that the country can increase extraction and return to marketing its oil, including ending its ties with Cuba, China, Russia and Iran and accepting an “exclusive” oil partnership with Washington, according to an ABC News report based on three people familiar with the plan.
Regarding the movement of the navy, some Air Force resources, including the CV-22 Special Operations aircraft used for combat search and rescue and the MC-130s needed for aerial refueling have also departed
A US defense official assured that the central objectives of the mission have already been met, but stressed that the naval presence continues to adjust to “national security priorities”, which points to a less ostentatious, although equally calculated phase.
The relocation of the vessels occurs a few days after the action that culminated in the interception of Maduro in Venezuela. The former ruler was flown by helicopter to the USS Iwo Jima and later taken to New York with his wife. Cilia Flores, where he faces federal charges linked to drug trafficking.
Pentagon officials confirmed that, after the operation, Washington began a gradual reduction of its fleet in the southern Caribbean. However, they made it clear that the withdrawal does not imply the end of military operations in the area, but rather a reorganization of the US apparatus after one of the most forceful actions of its recent foreign policy.
