CDR Salamander - Can Everyone in the Caribbean Just Chill for a While?

The US Navy is deploying to the Caribbean? Been there, done that, came back disappointed. We’ve been doing these deployments since before we were even a nation, so pardon me if this didn’t raise too much of an eyebrow.

On the 20th,

The United States has ordered an amphibious squadron to the southern Caribbean as part of President Donald Trump's effort to address threats from Latin American drug cartels, two sources briefed on the deployment said on Wednesday.

The sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that the USS San Antonio, USS Iowa Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale could arrive off the coast of Venezuela as early as Sunday. The ships are carrying 4,500 service members, including 2,200 Marines, the sources said.

At the end of last week, I saw a few breathless comments about this, but considered it just background noise.

Since he took office seven months ago, sending the Navy to go after drug cartels has been a thing, so … shrug.

What would one do with 2,200 Marines in the Caribbean besides beef-up a shore patrol? IDK. It isn’t like this is related to Tren de Aragua or anything…and again, we’ve been chasing drug runners in the Caribbean for decades. I spent a year of my life mowing that ocean in the 1990s.

Then this showed up in my feed about the same time,

The United States is deploying three Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Donald Trump's effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels, according to a U.S. official briefed on the planning.

The USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson are expected to arrive soon…

A half-dozen ships? OK, now you have my attention.

Oh, and we have a LCS and a SSN in the area too?

Well, then Saturday came around. Who had Trinidad and Tobago on their Bingo Card?

If you wonder how Guyana got wedged in on the topic, review the Guyana–Venezuela crisis (2023–2024). It was fun and all, but everyone is quite glad that is over…we think.

Yes, let’s go to the chart room. Easy to see why T&T are concerned.

The light green is what everyone is making a fuss over.

…since the mid 1800s.

Can everyone just chill? The international arena only has so much bandwidth…but…even China has to make a comment.

Venezuela has a population of over 30 million. It is one-third again larger than Texas. A few thousand US Marines can do a lot, but they are not doing that.

Show the flag, make a point, go home. That is where the smart bet is, and that’s what I’ll hope for.

Then again, the socialist autocrats in Venezuela could do something stupid.

Bleh.

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