By JamRadio Caribbean News Desk
The Southern Caribbean remains on edge this weekend as U.S. Marines set to conduct traning exercises with Trinidad and Tobago Defence Forces amid escalating tensions with Venezuela
Port of Spain - Trinidad has become the latest flashpoint in a widening U.S. military presence across the Caribbean. American military equipment was off‑loaded ahead of joint exercises with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. Officially, these drills are framed as counter‑narcotics and crime‑fighting cooperation, but the scale of deployments and their proximity to Venezuela has fueled speculation of a looming confrontation.
A press release from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) confirms that U.S. 22nd Marine Corps Expeditionary Unit under the United States Southern Command will conduct a five-day traning exercise from 16-21 November 2025. While the exercises are being styled military to miltary tactical traning, in response to a surge of gun and drug related crime on the Island nation, locals fear all out war with its closest neighbour.
U.S. Military Forces in Trinidad and Tobago this weekend amid rising tensions with Venezuela. pic.twitter.com/acYg0SG5th
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In Puerto Rico, the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD‑28) arrived in Ponce on November 8, carrying Marines and helicopters for amphibious training. Meanwhile, the USS Iwo Jima, a Wasp‑class assault ship capable of launching thousands of troops and aircraft, docked in St. Croix after a high‑profile visit to St. Thomas. Together, these movements mark the most visible amphibious footprint in the Caribbean region in decades.
USS Iwo Jima docked at Crown Bay Marina, St. Thomas U.S. Virgin Islands
On November 11, 2025, the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, entered the Caribbean region with its accompanying strike group — including destroyers USS Bainbridge, USS Mahan, and USS Winston S. Churchill, plus Carrier Air Wing Eight with more than 60 aircraft. The Ford adds over 4,000 sailors and expands U.S. air and missile capabilities in the Caribbean, joining an already formidable fleet of amphibious and surface combatants.
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Caracas responded immediately. Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a massive nationwide military exercise involving 200,000 troops, deploying land, air, naval, and militia forces. President Nicolás Maduro warned Washington against launching another “forever war,” likening the buildup to Afghanistan and Libya. Venezuelan officials have characterized the U.S. presence as an “imperialist threat” and pledged to defend sovereignty with both conventional and guerrilla tactics.
US Naval assets in the Caribeean as of 9 November 2025
For Caribbean observers, the optics are unmistakable: amphibious ships, Marine Expeditionary Units, and now a nuclear‑powered carrier strike group positioned along the island chain that arcs toward Venezuela’s coast. Trinidad and Tobago, once seen as a neutral hub, now finds itself at the center of this unfolding drama, with its ports hosting U.S. equipment and its Defence Force engaged in joint drills.
Whether framed as training, deterrence, or preparation, the Caribbean is now host to a staggering projection of U.S. military might. And with Venezuela mobilising in direct response, the region stands at the intersection of cooperation and confrontation, a fragile balance that could tip at any moment.
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