Trinidad and Tobago Grants US Military Access to Airports Amid Rising US-Venezuela Tensions
Trinidad and Tobago will allow US military access to its airports in the coming weeks as tensions between the US and Venezuela escalate. This announcement follows the recent installation of a radar system at ANR Robinson Airport in Tobago. The government stated the radar is intended for combating local crime and emphasized that the country will not be used as a launchpad to attack other nations.
The US access will be used for logistical activities including supply replenishment and routine personnel rotations, though no further details have been provided. Critics have warned that this move could involve Trinidad and Tobago in former President Donald Trump’s pressure campaign against Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.
Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar praised recent US strikes on alleged drug boats. Initial claims that a US C-17 aircraft carried marines for a road project were later revised to indicate at least 100 marines and a radar system are present in the country. The radar is believed to be the AN/TPS-80 G/ATOR, described by Northrop Grumman as a long-range air surveillance, defense, and counter-fire radar.
Geographically, Venezuela lies as close as seven miles from Trinidad at their nearest point. Trinidad and Tobago’s two main airports are Piarco International Airport in Trinidad and ANR Robinson Airport in Tobago. In October, a US warship docked in Port of Spain as US pressure on Venezuela intensified. US lawmakers have questioned the legality of strikes against vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, with a congressional review announced.
