The US guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely (DDG-107) arrived on the Northern coast of Trinidad this morning, a modern instrument of war and conflict now moored just 24 miles from the Venezuelan coast (and even less from its maritime border) at a moment when Caribbean tensions, brewing since late August, continue to harden.

The US’ expansion of its military presence in the region (one of the largest in modern times) and at least ten lethal-boat strikes in the Pacific and Caribbean seas which have now killed at least 43, precede the ships visit to Trinidad and Tobago over the next four days.

It comes at the request of the US government, according to Minister of Defense Wayne Sturge, who yesterday claimed the warship’s path to local shores was pre-planned but could offer no further details.