Top US Military Officer Visits Troops in Puerto Rico Amid Tensions With Venezuela

The highest-ranking officer in the U.S. military traveled to Puerto Rico on Nov. 24 to meet with American forces stationed in the Caribbean, where the United States has ramped up its military presence to combat drug trafficking.

Joint Chiefs Chairman Gen. Dan Caine and his senior enlisted adviser, David L. Isom, visited service members supporting operations in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility—which includes Central America, South America, and the Caribbean—from Nov. 23 to Nov. 25, according to Caine’s office.

The two officers aimed to “personally thank” service members “for their dedicated, unwavering service and receive operational updates” during the trip, his office said in an emailed statement to The Epoch Times. They visited a U.S. military base in Puerto Rico on Nov. 24.

The trip marked Caine’s second to Puerto Rico, following a Sept. 8 visit with Secretary of War Pete Hegseth.

During that visit, Hegseth told sailors and Marines on the USS Iwo Jima warship off Puerto Rico that they were being deployed to the “front lines” of a critical counter-narcotics mission in the Caribbean.

“Make no mistake about it, what you’re doing right now is not training. This is the real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interest of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people,” Hegseth said on Sept. 8.

Caine will also travel to Trinidad and Tobago on Nov. 25, where he will meet with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, according to the U.S. Embassy.

It stated that the visit aims to strengthen U.S. relations with Trinidad and Tobago, boost regional stability, and reinforce “regional unity on the vital importance of countering illicit trafficking and transnational criminal organizations.”

The Trump administration has increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean to deter drug smuggling and has conducted strikes on vessels that U.S. officials say were carrying narcotics to the United States.

The operations have heightened tensions with Venezuela, which President Donald Trump has accused of involvement in drug trafficking, an allegation Venezuelan leaders have denied.

Trump told reporters on Nov. 17 that he would be open to holding talks with Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro but did not rule out sending U.S. troops into Venezuela.

Caine’s visit also followed a six-day military exercise on Nov. 16 in which U.S. Marines trained alongside the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force to “promote regional stability, counter transnational threats, and enhance disaster response capabilities,” according to the U.S. Embassy.

Venezuela last month suspended its energy cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago after the island nation allowed the U.S. guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely to dock in its capital for a joint military exercise.

Caracas accused Trinidad and Tobago of engaging in a “military provocation” in coordination with the CIA and alleged that a false flag attack was underway in the waters between Trinidad and Venezuela.

A false flag operation is an act carried out with the intent to make it appear as though the other party was responsible.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.