Trinidad and Tobago Grants US Military Use to National Airfields As Growing Strains with Venezuela
The government of Trinidad and Tobago has confirmed it will allow the United States military to operate from its airports in coming weeks. This move follows mounting strained relations between the US and its neighbor Venezuela.
Radar Installation Fuels Controversy
This statement comes after the installation of a military-grade radar system at an airport in Tobago. National authorities state the radar's sole use is for curtailing illegal operations, asserting it is not a springboard for attacks against any nation.
Critics and opposition figures argue, however, that these arrangements risks pulling Trinidad and Tobago into ex-President Donald Trump's ongoing pressure campaign against Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro.
Scope of Agreement and Government Explanation
According to a ministry statement, US use at the airports would be focused on logistics, enabling stocking provisions and standard troop rotations. The government offered no specifics beyond this.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has in the past praised US airstrikes targeting suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Pacific, strikes that have reportedly led to dozens of fatalities, among them several Trinidadian citizens.
Initial Claims and Subsequent Revelations
At first, Persad-Bissessar said a US C-17 aircraft arriving in Tobago was carrying marines to assist with a local road construction project. Yet, following photographic evidence of the radar installation, she acknowledged that at least 100 marines were on the ground in the country, along with the powerful radar.
This system, thought to be a long-range AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, is used for aerial monitoring, air defense, and counter-fire capabilities.
Close Neighbors
Trinidad and Tobago lies extremely close from Venezuela at their narrowest separation. It has two primary airports: Piarco International in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International in Tobago.
The airport access agreement comes after a prior event in October, when a US naval vessel was stationed in Trinidad's capital, signaling the Trump administration's ramped-up military pressure against Venezuela.
Meanwhile, US lawmakers have expressed doubts about the legality of the recent maritime strikes and have announced a review process.