Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, November 15, sharply criticized new joint military drills conducted by the United States and Trinidad and Tobago, calling the exercises “irresponsible” amid what he says is a growing U.S. military presence in the Caribbean.
Caracas insists that Washington’s recent operations in the region — officially described by U.S. officials as anti–drug trafficking missions — are actually part of a strategy to destabilize and ultimately remove the leftist Venezuelan leader. The drills announced this week mark the second U.S.–Trinidad training operation in less than a month.
In October, a U.S. guided missile destroyer spent four days in Trinidad for earlier exercises, operating within firing distance of Venezuela. At the time, the Venezuelan government condemned the move as a “provocation.”
Speaking at an event in Caracas on Saturday, Maduro accused Trinidad and Tobago of once again enabling hostile maneuvers near Venezuelan territory.
“The government of Trinidad and Tobago has announced irresponsible exercises, lending its waters off the coast of Sucre state for military operations intended to threaten a republic like Venezuela — a nation that will not be intimidated by anyone,” he said.
Maduro urged supporters in Venezuela’s eastern states to hold a “vigil and permanent march in the streets” during the exercises, which will take place November 16–21.
The United States has recently deployed warships, fighter jets and several thousand troops across Latin America, and launched strikes on 21 boats it claims were used for drug trafficking — attacks that have left at least 80 people dead. Washington has not provided evidence that those killed were smugglers, while human rights organizations argue that the operations are unlawful regardless of who was targeted.
Tensions escalated further on Tuesday when a U.S. aircraft carrier strike group arrived in the region, prompting Caracas to announce a “massive” counter-deployment of its own forces. On Thursday, U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced a new mission targeting “narco-terrorists in our hemisphere,” though it remains unclear how the operation differs from the military activities already under way.
