Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, will visit Puerto Rico and a Navy warship in the Caribbean this week as the Trump administration intensifies pressure on Venezuela and weighs possible military options.
U.S. officials say the stated purpose of the trip is to thank American troops ahead of Thanksgiving. But Caine, a key architect of Operation Southern Spear — the largest U.S. naval buildup in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis — is expected to review preparations with commanders as forces continue to mass near Venezuela, The New York Times reported Sunday.
The aircraft carrier Gerald R. Ford arrived in the region last week, bringing total U.S. troop presence to about 15,000.
The news comes as President Donald Trump's administration is set to ramp up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday by designating the Cartel de los Soles as a foreign terrorist organization.
Also, administration officials say Trump has approved CIA covert measures inside Venezuela and authorized new back-channel negotiations with Maduro, including a proposal in which the Venezuelan leader reportedly offered to step down after a delay — a plan the White House rejected.
While the administration cites counternarcotics operations, Navy ships have increasingly positioned themselves close to Venezuela's coast, far from the busiest drug-smuggling routes.
U.S. forces have carried out 21 strikes on suspected smuggling boats, killing at least 83 people, though officials have provided little evidence of narcotics cargo.
As military flights and joint exercises expand around Venezuela, officials say Trump has not yet approved direct attacks on land targets, though such options — including strikes on drug facilities, military units, or Maduro's inner circle — remain under active discussion.
Newsmax writer Eric Mack and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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