(Bloomberg) — Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet Monday with members of the U.S. Southern Command in Puerto Rico, where the U.S. military presence has increased as the Trump administration considers military action against Venezuela.
The Pentagon said in a statement that Caine and David L. Isom, a Navy SEAL and Caine’s top adviser, will visit the U.S. territory where most of the 10,000 U.S. troops in the Caribbean theater are expected to be deployed. The trip comes amid growing concerns about potential US strikes against targets on Venezuelan soil.
The US has carried out deadly attacks on suspected drug boats in the Caribbean and deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford – the world’s largest aircraft carrier – to the region, criticizing Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro for his ties to drug cartels that use Venezuelan territory to transport drugs.
While President Donald Trump said he would be open to talking directly with Maduro, he also threatened strikes on Venezuelan soil. The Trump administration also refuses to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s head of state and has issued a $50 million bounty on the strongman leader for “narco-terrorism.”
Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters at the end of the Group of 20 summit that he planned to contact Trump to express concern about the US military build-up in Venezuela and warned that the activities could destabilize South America.
“There is absolutely no reason for war right now. We must not repeat the mistake we made in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” he said, adding that a solution must come before any escalation.
Several airlines canceled flights to and from Venezuela in response to a US Federal Aviation Administration warning on Saturday of a “deteriorating security situation and increased military activity around Venezuela”, further fueling speculation about potential US operations.
More such stories are available at bloomberg.com
