U.S. Seeks To Install military Equipment In Country 100 Miles From Venezuela

The U.S. is seeking to install military equipment in Grenada, a country 100 miles from Venezuela , as it continues to beef up its presence in the Caribbean.

The country’s government said it is “carefully reviewing” the request. “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Export Development confirms that a request for the temporary installation of a radar equipment and associated technical personnel at the Maurice Bishop International Airport was received from the Government of the United States of America,” the government said in a statement. It added that “any decisions will be made only after all technical and legal assessments are completed.”

It is the latest development in the Trump administration’s escalation in the Caribbean. Several reports throughout the week have detailed other moves, including that there are now 10,000 troops deployed in the region. They are in Puerto Rico and aboard eight surface warships and a submarine.

Forces have been conducting drills and the U.S. has struck at least four vessels officials claim were carrying drugs that were ultimately set to reach the U.S.

The U.S. has also reportedly moved several military helicopters off the coast of Trinidad and Tobago.

Citing specialized outlets and forum, Venezuelan outlet El Nacional noted that at least four special ops helicopters and three Black Hawks have been spotted. It added that they could be aboard the Ocean Trader, the converted cargo vessel designed to serve as a special operations mothership.

Originally launched as a commercial roll-on/roll-off cargo ship in 2010, the vessel was later converted under a $73 million U.S. Navy contract to support a wide range of special operations missions. The Ocean Trader is capable of hosting up to 159 special operations forces in addition to its 50-member crew, operating at sea for as long as 45 days before resupply.

It is equipped with helicopter hangars, boat launch bays, aviation fuel stores, workshops, and intelligence facilities, while retaining a commercial appearance intended to blend with merchant traffic.

Seeking to defuse tensions, Venezuelan authoritarian President Nicolas Maduro offered the administration preferential access to the country’s natural resources including oil, gold and other minerals. However, he refused, ending all diplomatic outreach to the South American country the New York Times reported.

The outlet noted that the offer involved an offer to open up all existing and future oil and gold projects to American companies and give them preferential contracts. It also proposed to reverse the flow of oil exports from China to the U.S. and slash energy and mining contracts with companies from China, Iran and Russia.

The offer remained on the table even as the U.S. began amassing troops in the Caribbean and officials called the regime “illegitimate” and a “fugitive from American justice.” However, it ended after the country ended the diplomatic outreach.