Senior US military officials held talks with the leaders of several Caribbean nations yesterday as part of the Trump administration’s growing focus on narcotrafficking operations in Latin America. US Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth met with Dominican President Luis Abinader and Defence Minister Carlos Antonio Fernández Onofre to strengthen defence relationships and reaffirm America’s commitment to defend the homeland. Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, met with Trinidad and Tobago Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar, during which the two exchanged views on challenges affecting the Caribbean region, including the destabilising effects of illicit narcotics, arms, and human trafficking, and transnational criminal organisation activities. 

 

 

In early September, the United States began launching strikes on alleged drug trafficking boats. Since then, Washington has carried out 21 known attacks on vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, killing at least 83 people. At the same time, Trump has ordered a massive military buildup in the area. Around 15,000 U.S. personnel are now deployed in the Caribbean, including around 5,000 service members in Puerto Rico. This is the United States’ largest military presence in the region in decades.