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THE Prime Minister has confirmed that Chairman of the United States’ Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Dan Caine, will visit Trinidad on November 25 and meet with her at the Diplomatic Centre in Port of Spain.
The US Embassy made the announcement on its Facebook page, while the Office of the Prime Minister (OPM) later issued a release confirming the meeting.
The OPM said that Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar will meet General Caine at the request of the United States and will focus on the two nations’ strong bi-lateral relationship, strengthening regional stability and the vital importance to both countries of countering the illicit traffic in drugs and transnational criminal organisations.
The release ended by saying the Prime Minister welcomed this visit. No further details on where Caine would arrive in Trinidad, how long his visit is for and – if it was for more than a day – where he would be staying, were provided.
The US embassy’s announcement carried the same wording as the OPM release saying the visit will focus on the two nations’ strong bilateral relationship, strengthening regional stability, and regional unity on the vital importance of countering illicit trafficking and transnational criminal organisations.
Caine is the 22nd chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the US highest-ranking military officer, and the principal military advisor to President Trump, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth, and the US National Security Council.
He has served in a wide range of operational, staff and joint assignments, primarily as an F-16 fighter pilot, weapons officer, member of the White House staff and special operations officer.
Caine’s arrival is the latest of a series of close military interactions between both countries since the UNC was elected into office in April and coincides with a major build-up of US military equipment and personnel including the world’s largest aircraft carrier, a submarine, fighter planes and thousands of soldiers and marines in the southern Caribbean Sea.
Today’s visit follows two recent arrivals by members of the US 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU), from October 26-30 and November 16-21, for military drills alongside the TT Defence Force.
The government has remained mum on the issue of TT-US military co-operation and the purpose of last week’s drills.
‘MAYBE SOME CLARITY NOW’
But former minister of foreign affairs Dr Amery Browne told Newsday he hoped today’s visit could help provide some clarity on government’s stance in the US-Venezuela tensions.
“Right-thinking citizens would take a close look at this visit to see if it would finally catapult the prime minister towards a decision to properly address the media and nation on matters related to the prospective war with Venezuela and forthright disclosure of the role of TT,” he said.
Browne added that Persad-Bissessar has placed herself under pressure in the region “due to her self-isolation from Caricom”
He described her position on the US bombing of ships in the region as reckless and accused her of “praising and encouraging violation of international law and the UN Charter in the Caribbean Sea.”
Browne disputed the US government’s claims – later supported by the TT government – that missile strikes by the US military – on Venezuelan vessels were aimed at tackling drug trafficking in the region.
“The alibi that this is all about a fight against drug trafficking has faded, and observant members of the public would be monitoring to see if the established agencies such as the Drug Enforcement Agency and the Transnational Organized Crime Unit would participate in this latest visit.”
Newsday messaged Persad-Bissessar, Minister in the Office of the Prime Minister Barry Padarath, Homeland Security Minister Roger Alexander and Defence Minister Wayne Sturge, on November 24, to ask what the government hoped to gain out of this meeting, and whether the government considered how it may impact Venezuela-TT relations.
They were also asked if they had any words of comfort to members of the public who felt the meeting is an alarming sign of things to come. Neither Persad-Bissessar, Padarath, Alexander nor Sturge responded.
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