US Force’s Presence in Caribbean Has Limits, Despite Trump Vow

Jan. 9, 2026, 10:21 PM UTC

President Donald Trump vowed to keep US forces in the Caribbean for the foreseeable future. Yet given the sheer size of the military buildup in Latin America, he can’t maintain that presence indefinitely — and there are tradeoffs.

A week after the raid to capture Venezuelan strongman Nicolas Maduro, Trump said in a social media post Friday that he had canceled a second “Wave of Attacks” but that “all ships will stay in place for safety and security purposes.”

The US Navy vessels are currently enforcing a “quarantine” of Venezuelan oil exports as part of the president’s efforts to ...

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