Top US Military Adviser Visits Caribbean as Tensions With Venezuela Intensify

Dan Caine, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff and the president's senior military adviser, traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday amid one of the largest US naval deployments in the Caribbean in decades. The visit, which included a meeting with service members on the island and aboard a US Navy warship, comes as Washington steps up operations tied to alleged anti-drug efforts and rising pressure on Venezuela.

Deployment and regional activity

The Pentagon has expanded its presence in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford. Roughly 15,000 US personnel are now operating in the region, including about 5,000 service members based in Puerto Rico and Marines embarked on amphibious ships. Washington has also stepped up joint exercises with Trinidad and Tobago, launching a second round of drills within a month aimed at countering violent crime and drug trafficking.

Maritime strikes and legal concerns

The US has carried out maritime strikes on vessels it says were involved in drug trafficking; US officials say those strikes have killed at least 83 people across 21 boats. Authorities have not publicly released evidence showing narcotics were present on those vessels, and legal experts warn the strikes could violate international law even if drug activity were confirmed.

FTO designation and political fallout

Washington recently designated the so-called Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, as a foreign terrorist organization (FTO). The administration alleges the network includes President Nicolás Maduro and senior Venezuelan officials and accuses them of facilitating narcotics shipments into the United States, though public evidence to substantiate those claims has not been provided. Venezuela rejected the designation, calling it baseless and politically motivated.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the designation would provide a 'whole bunch of new options' in dealing with Caracas, adding that 'nothing is off the table, but nothing's automatically on the table.'

Responses and analysis

Venezuelan officials have accused Washington of seeking regime change to seize natural resources. Oil Minister Delcy Rodriguez said the United States wants Venezuela's oil, gas, gold and other resources without paying for them, and Foreign Minister Yvan Gil described the FTO label as an attempt to justify illegitimate intervention.

Independent analysts caution against a simplistic 'cartel' narrative. InSight Crime and other regional experts describe the problem more as a system of corruption in which some military and political figures profit by colluding with drug traffickers, rather than a single, centralized cartel structure.

The US campaign has also sparked domestic debate. A Reuters poll cited by officials suggested only a minority of Americans support killing suspected traffickers without judicial oversight, and former US officials say that FTO designations do not by themselves authorize military action.

What to watch next

• Whether Caine proceeds to visit Trinidad and Tobago to meet with Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar.
• Any public evidence released by US authorities tying specific Venezuelan officials to narcotics trafficking.
• How regional partners respond to expanded US operations and the FTO designation.