San Juan, Puerto Rico (AP) – US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegses and Air Force General Dan Kanethe chairman of the co-star chief of staff arrived in Puerto Rico on Monday for an unexpected visit via the US military operations against drug cartels in the Caribbean.
Their arrival on US territory has been more than a week since hundreds of US Marines said the ships deployed in Puerto Rico are training exercises.
However, in a video posted to X, Hegses said the unfolded Marines were “on the forefront of protecting America’s hometown.”
“No doubt about that, what you’re doing now is not training. This is a real-world exercise on behalf of the important national interests of the United States to end addiction to the American people,” he said while riding on the USS Iwo Jima.
At the beginning of the day, Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer Gonzales Heggs and Kane said they visited on behalf of President Donald Trump’s administration to support those involved in the training.
“We acknowledge President Trump and his administration’s strategic importance to Puerto Rico’s efforts to protect the nation’s national security and thank the drug cartel and drug conductor Nicolas Maduro for their fight,” Gonzalez said.
Hegseth and Caine met with officials at Carolina’s 156th Wing Muniz Air National Guard Base, just east of the capital of San Juan.
Gonzalez said Hegses spoke to nearly 300 soldiers at the base and thanked those he described as “American warriors” for their work. He later set out for USS Iwo Jima.
“The American people rely on you to keep their homes safe,” Heggs told the Marines he rode the USS Iwo Jima. “Narco terrorists and drug traffickers have informed us.”
The visit said on Saturday that it targets drug cartels as the US prepares to deploy 10 F-35 fighters to Puerto Rico. We spoke on the condition of anonymity as no information was made public about the deployment.
Escalating tension
On September 2nd, Trump announced the US Strikes took place in the Southern Caribbean To a ship suspected of leaving Venezuela and carrying drugs. Eleven people were killed in a rare US military operation in the Caribbean, and the president said the ship was run by a Venezuelan gang. Tren de Aragua.
Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago praised the strike And the response from other Caribbean leaders who said the US should kill all drug traffickers “hardly” has calmed down.
Barbadian Foreign Minister Kelly Simmons He recently spoke to the Associated Press Members of the Regional Trade Bloc’s CARICOM have written to Secretary of State Marco Rubio asking for public communication regarding the development. He said he wanted to not be surprised by the US’s move towards Venezuela.
Meanwhile, the Venezuelan government on Monday allegedly falsely accusing the United States of playing a key role in the global drug trafficking. Vice President Delsy Rodriguez told reporters that the US government should redirect recently deployed naval forces to the Pacific Ocean.
“The ships that are trying to intimidate Venezuela today should be in the Pacific if they really want to fight and prevent cocaine from reaching the United States,” she said. “They have GPS location issues. They are places they shouldn’t be. They need to adjust their GPS.”
Quoting reports from the UN and the US Drug Enforcement Agency, Rodriguez added that Venezuela “has nothing to do with the deaths of (US) citizens due to drug overdose.”
She suggested that the US should focus on fighting consumption within its borders.
“A lot of hypocrisy, lot of double standards, and many political manipulations on this issue aim to attack, intervene, change in government in the country that is not sympathetic,” she said of drug trafficking.
“Not in war”
The ongoing development of Marines and fighter jets in Puerto Rico ranked several in US territory. There, memories of the US Navy using nearby islands as a training area for decades remain fresh. Cleanup is still underway.
The death of civilian security guard David Sonus Rodriguez in April 1999 sparked massive protests at the time, which ultimately led to US forces leaving the island. Rodriguez was killed after two 500 pounds (226 kilograms) bombs were dropped near him as part of a training mission at Vieques.
Dozens of people gathered at National Guard Bases in Carolina on Sunday to enhance the US military presence on the island.
They had signs saying “it’s not in war” and “it’s not in PR’s military base.”
Organizers also warned against the use of Puerto Rico as a setting for potential US actions in the region.
“We condemn the existence of military bases in Puerto Rico,” said Sonia Santiago Hernandez, founder of his mother against the war.
Gonzalez dismisses these concerns and says Puerto Rico is playing a key role in Trump’s ongoing fight against drug trafficking, representing the US border in the Caribbean.
She also notes that the Marine Corps’ ongoing training includes logistics exercises and lacks ammunition.
Puerto Rico Marines
Siul López, a spokesman for the Puerto Rican National Guard, told the Associated Press that the Marines practice amphibious operations on various vehicles, adding that they don’t know how many people there are on the island.
Meanwhile, Gonzalez said last week he estimated that more than 1,000 Marines were in Puerto Rico.
The US Marines issued a statement on August 31, pointing out that Marines and seafarers from the 22nd Marine Corps expedition will be conducting amphibious training and flight operations in southern Puerto Rico.
“Puerto Rico’s challenging terrain and tropical climate will provide the ideal environment for the 22nd MEU to carry out realistic amphibious training and hone professional skills such as patrol, reconnaissance and survival skills, ensuring a high level of preparation for positive equipment,” the Marines said.
It was not immediately clear whether Hegseth and Caine were planning to stay in Puerto Rico or visited other sites while on the island.
National Guard spokesman Lopez declined to comment on the details of the visit.
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The Associated Press reporter was contributed by Will Weiscent of Associated Press videographer Alejandro, in Washington, DC, Regina Garciacano, Caracas, and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
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