🔗 Share this article The Caribbean Nation Provides US Military Use to National Airfields As Escalating Tensions with Venezuela Officials in Trinidad and Tobago has announced it will authorize the United States military to utilize its airports in coming weeks. This move follows mounting strained relations between the US and nearby Venezuela. New Defense System Raises Questions The news follows the recent setup of a advanced radar system at an airport in Tobago. Caribbean authorities state the radar's intended role is for curtailing illegal operations, emphatically denying a launchpad for attacks against any nation. Skeptics argue, however, that these arrangements could draw Trinidad and Tobago into former President Donald Trump's intensifying political strategy against Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro. Scope of Agreement and Official Statements As per a foreign affairs statement, US use at the airports would be “logistical in nature”, enabling resupply efforts and routine personnel rotations. Officials did not elaborate regarding the scope. Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar has in the past praised US operations targeting alleged drug boats in regional waters, strikes that have allegedly led to numerous deaths, including several Trinidadian citizens. Earlier Statements and Later Disclosures Initially, Persad-Bissessar claimed a US C-17 aircraft that landed in Tobago was carrying marines to support a civilian road construction project. Yet, when pictures emerged of the radar installation, she acknowledged that no fewer than 100 marines were present in the country, accompanied by the high-performance radar. This system, thought to be a long-range AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, is marketed as air surveillance, defense, and artillery detection operations. Close Neighbors Trinidad and Tobago is situated a mere seven miles from Venezuela at their closest point. The country has two primary airports: Piarco International in Trinidad and ANR Robinson International in Tobago. The airport access agreement follows a previous incident in October, when a US naval vessel was stationed in Trinidad's capital, as part of the Trump administration's ramped-up military pressure towards Venezuela. Meanwhile, American legislators have expressed doubts about the lawfulness of the aforementioned maritime strikes and have called for a congressional review.