The revelation that Trinidad and Tobago has approved the installation of a US military radar facility has heightened fears that the Caribbean could be drawn into the escalating crisis between the United States and Venezuela. This development comes as geopolitical tensions in the region continue to rise.
Trinidad and Tobago’s Prime Minister, Kamla Persad-Bissessar, initially attempted to downplay concerns following the landing of a US C-17 aircraft in the country, claiming it was transporting marines to assist with a road construction project. She assured the public that no marines remained in the country. However, images and videos later surfaced showing US marines at a Tobago hotel and a radar installation on the island, prompting further scrutiny.
US Military Presence and Radar Installation
Under pressure from reporters, Persad-Bissessar admitted on Friday that at least 100 marines were present in the country, along with a military-grade radar, believed to be a long-range, high-performance AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR. According to Northrop Grumman, the US defense company responsible for the radar, it is used for air surveillance, defense, and counter-fire operations.
The prime minister explained that the radar installation, located just seven miles from Venezuela at its closest point, is part of a counter-drug trafficking strategy. She stated that details were withheld to protect national security and prevent alerting drug traffickers.
Regional Military Buildup
Persad-Bissessar has consistently supported the US military buildup in the Caribbean. Since September, the US has launched at least 21 airstrikes on alleged drug smugglers in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, resulting in over 80 fatalities, including several Trinidadian citizens. Additionally, the Pentagon has deployed the USS Gerald Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, and its accompanying strike group to South American waters, marking one of the most significant mobilizations of US military power in the region in decades.
Despite these actions, the prime minister has rejected claims that the radar installation supports the US pressure campaign against Venezuela. Trinidad and Tobago’s Minister of Defense, Wayne Sturge, has emphasized that the country “is not a launch pad for any military operations.”
Political and Public Reactions
Opposition voices have been vocal in their criticism. Marvin Gonzales, an opposition MP and former national security minister, accused the prime minister and her ministers of misleading the country. “They have sold the soul of the nation for a mess of pottage,” he told the Guardian. He further lamented, “Caribbean ancestors … are all turning in their graves for what has befallen our beautiful Caribbean.”
David Abdulah, political leader of Trinidad’s Movement for Social Justice, echoed these sentiments, accusing the prime minister of being “complicit in the extrajudicial killings in the Caribbean Sea.” He stated, “With the installation of a US military radar in Tobago, it is now directly involving the country in the US war plans. Our international reputation has been tarnished as the government unapologetically sides with the agenda of Washington.”
Historical and Strategic Context
Caribbean political analyst Peter Wickham warned that Persad-Bissessar’s actions risked returning the region to a Cold War-era dynamic, suggesting she was using the “war on drugs” to justify her alliance with the US administration. “She is trying to suggest that it is a small thing. If you have a … US-administered military radar in Tobago, that’s essentially a military installation. It has to be maintained by American officers who will have a presence on the island. They’re not going to just drop it and leave. It’s something that has to be defended because, of course, it is also susceptible to attack,” he explained.
Wickham also expressed concerns about the potential impact on the region’s tourism-dependent economies, stating, “I’m concerned that Donald Trump is planning some initiative against Venezuela and he has a willing and able ally in Persad-Bissessar.”
Implications for Trinidad and Tobago
For Amery Browne, opposition senator and Trinidad and Tobago’s former foreign minister, the concern is that the prime minister “is taking deliberate steps” to draw the country into a conflict that could make it a target and put “precious people and resources at unnecessary risk.” He added that the prime minister was “loudly and publicly cheerleading … what is quite obviously a regime-change agenda in addition to the [airstrikes on boats] that are quite clearly in violation of international law.”
The installation of the US radar facility in Trinidad and Tobago represents a significant geopolitical shift in the Caribbean, with potential ramifications for regional stability and international relations. As the situation unfolds, the eyes of the world remain on this small island nation and its role in the broader US-Venezuela crisis.
