Click to view full size

ALMOST two months after US President Donald Trump ordered the US Navy to the southern Caribbean, the geopolitical tension in the region has become palpable.

Over 300 US troops aboard the USS Gravely are expected to arrive in Trinidad on October 26 for military training with TT Defence Force personnel. The warship is a formidable asset capable of launching a variety of missiles, including Tomahawk (land strikes), standard missiles, and anti-submarine missiles.

It is one of eight warships that have formed a blockade around Venezuela and left its president, Nicolas Maduro, appealing for peace. Although Venezuela is not a major drug producer, the US has maintained that its military operations are geared towards crippling the illegal drug trade coming from that country to the Caribbean and North America.