Reuters: The US Has Begun Preparing A Military Beachhead Near Venezuela

Washington is increasing pressure on the regime of "Lukashenko's friend" Maduro.

The U.S. military has begun modernizing the Roosevelt Roads naval base in Puerto Rico, which was closed more than 20 years ago, Reuters concluded after analyzing satellite images taken in the area. Military officials and experts interviewed by the agency suggest that construction at the site indicates US preparations for long-term operations in the Caribbean, including against Venezuela.

According to the photos obtained, construction work began on September 17. This included replacing the taxiway pavement leading to the runway. Retired Colonel of the U.S. Marine Corps Mark Cancian noted that such changes are typical of preparations for an increase in the number of landings and takeoffs of military aircraft. Earlier, Bloomberg learned that this naval base has been a staging ground for F-35B stealth fighter jets and C-17 Globemaster III cargo planes since September.

In addition, infrastructure is being built at civilian airports in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, located about 800 kilometers from Venezuela.

So, at Rafael Hernandez Airport, the second busiest civilian airport in Puerto Rico, by mid-October, the U.S. military had moved communications equipment and a mobile control tower, which is typically used to coordinate the build-up of aircraft in war zones or after natural disasters.

"All of these things, I think, are designed to scare the regime of [Venezuelan dictator Nicolas] Maduro and the generals around him, in hopes of causing division," said Christopher Hernandez-Roy, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) in Washington.

The U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean began in August. Judging by ship and aircraft tracking data, photos and video from open sources, the deployment to the region is the largest since 1994, when the United States sent two aircraft carriers and more than 20,000 troops to Haiti to participate in Operation Uphold Democracy, Reuters wrote.

The estimated number of U.S. military personnel deployed in the Caribbean off Venezuela is 16,000, The Washington Post wrote. The US grouping includes eight warships and a nuclear submarine. Aviation is also involved, including the B-52 strategic bomber and the F-35 fighter. The personnel of the carrier strike group is estimated at 4,000 people.

American ships have already launched several missile strikes against Venezuelan boats, which the White House believes were smuggling drugs. The United States deployed a flotilla of seven ships off the coast of Venezuela in late summer. Caracas denies the allegations.

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