A US Marine belonging to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit fires an M27 infantry automatic rifle during a live-fire range at Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico. Photo: X/@Southcom.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—A local Trinidad and Tobago news outlet reported on Sunday that the country’s army had not been informed about military exercises the United States expects to conduct only a few miles off the coast of Venezuela in Trinidad and Tobago. Analysts see this new development as a provocation by US imperialism and the submissive Trinidadian government.
“These exercises start tomorrow, and we haven’t received any word,” an anonymous source told The Trinidad Guardian on Saturday. “Orders were issued on Friday, but no details on the joint training were included. Sometimes, instructions arrive after exercises begin, but given the scale and involvement of foreign troops, this is unusual.”
Unexpectedly, on Friday, the Trinidadian Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that military drills between the US Marine Corps’ 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) and the country’s Defense Force would be conducted between November 16 and 21.
A U.S. Marine with @22nd_MEU fires an M27 infantry automatic rifle during a live-fire range on Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico. @USMC @MARFORSOUTH pic.twitter.com/E1Pko6JeSI
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) November 17, 2025
The source noted that local personnel are normally provided sufficient time to mobilize and prepare for joint training with foreign militaries. “This is normally coordinated through the Defense Forces headquarters,” the source said.
According to the source, specific information must be provided to authorized officers beforehand to avoid leaks. “We don’t want a soldier flagged for gang affiliation or other problems to participate in this type of training,” it was explained.
The report indicated that protocol stipulates that such exercises must be coordinated with the heads of the Regiment and the Coast Guard, and the use of weapons and ammunition must be approved by Trinidadian Customs authorities.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, a source said that as of Saturday morning, senior officers had received no information and first heard about the drill from the Minister of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs Sean Sobers, who announced the operation during a media briefing on Friday. However, multiple Trinidadian military sources told Guardian Media that even senior officers had not been briefed.
The local news outlet said it reached out repeatedly to Defense Minister Wayne Sturge and Chief of Defense Staff Capt Don Polo, but neither responded by press time on Saturday.
On Saturday afternoon, the US Southern Command posted on social media an image of an MV-22B Osprey tilt-rotor aircraft conducting flight operations from the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean. Similar aircraft were seen at the Chaguaramas heliport earlier this year during training exercises.
This report suggests that there may be friction within the Trinidadian Defense Forces or that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar is abusing her powers. The prime minister has been heavily criticized for blindly supporting the controversial US military operation that has so far taken the lives of 83 civilians throughout the region, including innocent Trinidadian nationals.
Reports of gas scarcity on the island have been circulating on social media for the last few days, and images have shown long lines of cars at gas stations. Some blame the Trinidadian government for the situation, accusing it of being unable to secure energy deals with Venezuela due to its submissiveness regarding US aggression against Venezuela. In late October, Venezuela halted its energy cooperation with Trinidad and Tobago in response to the island nation’s complicity with the illegal US actions and killings in the region.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
OT/JRE/SL
