Trinidad and Tobago Provides US Military Use to National Airfields Amid Rising Tensions with Venezuela
Officials in Trinidad and Tobago has announced it will authorize the United States military to access its airports in coming weeks. This development follows mounting geopolitical friction between the US and nearby Venezuela.
Radar Installation Fuels Controversy
The news comes after the installation of a sophisticated radar system at an airport in Tobago. Caribbean authorities state the radar's sole use is for combating local criminal activity, emphatically denying a base for attacks against another country.
Skeptics caution, however, that the partnership risks pulling Trinidad and Tobago into ex-President Donald Trump's ongoing efforts against Venezuela's president Nicolás Maduro.
Nature of Access and Official Statements
As per a foreign affairs statement, US operations at the airports would be “logistical in nature”, assisting with supply replenishment and standard troop rotations. The statement provided no further details beyond this.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has in the past supported US operations targeting alleged drug ships in the Caribbean and Pacific, strikes that have reportedly resulted in dozens of fatalities, among them several Trinidadian citizens.
Earlier Statements and Later Disclosures
Initially, Persad-Bissessar said a US C-17 aircraft arriving in Tobago was transporting marines to help on a local road construction project. Yet, when pictures emerged of the radar installation, she conceded that at least 100 marines were present in the country, accompanied by the high-performance radar.
The radar, thought to be a long-range AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, is used for air surveillance, air defense, and artillery detection operations.
Close Neighbors
Trinidad and Tobago lies extremely close from Venezuela at their narrowest separation. It has main international gateways: Piarco International in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International in Tobago.
The airport access agreement follows a prior event in October, when a US warship docked in Trinidad's capital, as part of the Trump administration's growing military pressure against Venezuela.
In related developments, US lawmakers have expressed doubts about the legality of the aforementioned maritime strikes and have announced a congressional review.
