US joint chiefs chair to visit base amid Venezuela tensions

Se Young Lee, Bloomberg News on Nov 23, 2025

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General Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, will meet service members of the U.S. Southern Command on Monday in Puerto Rico, where the American military presence has swelled as the Trump administration weighs military action against Venezuela.

The Pentagon said in a statement that Caine and David L. Isom, a Navy SEAL and senior advisor to Caine, will visit the U.S. territory where most of the 10,000 U.S. troops in the Caribbean theater are thought to be stationed. The trip comes amid growing concerns about potential U.S. strikes against targets in Venezuelan territory.

The U.S. has carried out lethal attacks on alleged drug-running boats in the Caribbean Sea and deployed the USS Gerald R. Ford — the world’s largest aircraft carrier — to the region and criticized Venezuela President Nicolas Maduro for his ties to drug cartels that use Venezuelan territory to ship drugs.

While President Donald Trump has said he would be open to the possibility of speaking directly with Maduro, he has also threatened strikes on Venezuelan soil. The Trump administration also refuses to recognize Maduro as Venezuela’s head of state and has set a $50 million bounty against the strongman leader for “narco-terrorism.”

Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva told reporters at the end of the Group of 20 summit that he plans to contact Trump to express concern over the U.S. military buildup near Venezuela, warning the activities could destabilize South America.

“There’s absolutely no reason to have a war right now. We must not repeat the mistake made in the war between Russia and Ukraine,” he said, adding that a solution must come before any escalation.

Multiple airlines canceled flights to and from Venezuela in response to a Saturday warning by the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration of “worsening security situation and heightened military activity around Venezuela,” further fueling speculation about potential U.S. operations.