By Peter Richards
PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad, oct 26, CMC -The United States warship, “USS Gravely” arrived here on Sunday even as Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar sought to down play threats of military aggression in the region and the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) saying that “we stand in solidarity with all the peoples of the Caribbean, especially those most directly affected by this situation”.
In addition, Barbados Prime Minister Mia Mottley, addressing the 86th annual conference of her ruling Barbados Labour Party (BLP) on Saturday night, expressed concern at the “menacing military” US vessels across the Caribbean Sea, urging dialogue to prevent war from starting.
Mottley said if ever there is a need to remind how unstable and dangerous the world is, “and how vulnerable our Caribbean region is, it is now with us facing a multiplicity of threats,” including the passage of Hurricane Melissa that is likely to strike Jamaica and Haiti in the coming days.
We don’t have to look any further than the menacing military vessels from the United States across the Caribbean Sea, including what is reputed to be the world’s largest warship. These are not times of pirates anymore; this is 2025, and we have cause to be duly concerned,” she said.
Last week, the Donald Trump administration announced that it is intensifying its military build-up in the Caribbean with Defence Secretary Pete Hegseth ordering the deployment of the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, and its carrier air wing, to the Caribbean in aid of what the administration says is its counter-drug initiative.
Washington said the enhanced US force presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will bolster US capacity to detect, monitor, and disrupt illicit actors and activities that compromise the safety and prosperity of the United States homeland and its security in the Western Hemisphere.
In recent times, the Trump administration has deployed several warships and over 10,000 troops to the Caribbean in what pundits claim is a pretext for an eventual land invasion of Venezuela.
At least two Trinidad and Tobago nationals are among several people killed as the US military bombs vessels it claims are transporting illegal drugs on the international seas. It has provided no proof to substantiate the allegations, and Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar has said that the US should kill all those engaged in the illegal drugs trade “violently”.
Earlier this month, Trump confirmed that he had permitted the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) to spy on Venezuela.
The Trinidad and Tobago Ministry of Foreign and CARICOM Affairs said in a statement that the USS Gravely, an Arleigh Burke-class destroyer, will be docked in Port-of-Spain until October 30. It said that the 22nd US Marine Expeditionary Unit and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) will conduct joint training exercises.
“The visit strengthens US-Trinidad and Tobago military-to-military cooperation through expert exchanges focused on core infantry tactics, maintenance procedures, and advanced medical capabilities, leveraging the TTDF’s facilities to enhance tactical proficiency and enhance mutual trust,” the statement said.
Speaking to reporters as she emerged from the Parliament building late Saturday, Prime Minister Persad-Bissessar, a strong supporter of the US initiative, dismissed a statement that had been issued late last week by former Caribbean Community (CARICOM) leaders who have reiterated the need for the Caribbean to remain a “zone of peace”.
The former leaders, including Jamaica’s PJ Patterson and Bruce Golding, said that they are impelled to urge a pullback from military build-up to avoid “any diminution of peace, stability and development within our regional space that has the potential to pull the region into conflicts which are not of our making”.
But Persad-Bissessar again sought to indicate that she was first and foremost putting the safety of her citizens at the forefront of the war on drugs.
“We have had over 600 murders last year and almost every year counting. They have not had that experience. So, I think they have a different reality. In Trinidad and Tobago, the reality is we are crime-ridden, we are drug-ridden
“They are entitled to their view on the whole issue of a zone of peace, but in Trinidad and Tobago, there is clearly no zone of peace. There is none. Therefore, as I say, Trinidad and Tobago first, we have to take care of our people first. I do not have the same view as they do because I think we are the worst impacted by this issue.”
She said historically and geographically, her country is the closest to where the drugs are coming from, the narco-trafficking, the human trafficking, and the gun running.
Regarding the presence of the USS Gravely, the Trinidad and Tobago prime minister said, “Safety is priority number one to help keep the narcotraffickers, drug traffickers, and human traffickers out. Information technology assistance and some humanitarian work in using their marines and their navy members to help us with schools, or maybe some of our bases to upgrade.
“Our infrastructure has been so run down, so they have offered that as well. In addition to the safety, security, and training, they are also going to give us some training here in Trinidad and Tobago.”
She said that she is also likely to meet with the National Security Council to determine the way forward for Trinidad and Tobago, which has been under a state of emergency (SoE) since December last year and due to expire on October 28 after several extensions.
“Over this weekend, we intend to meet with the National Security Council, some of us, together with the Commissioner of Police, to get their views on what their suggestions or recommendations may be. We will act on the recommendations of the security forces,” Persad-Bissessar told reporters.
But the Barbados Prime Minister said that the region is now facing “an extremely dangerous and an untenable situation in the southern Caribbean and as a people with a tragic history of being subjected to centuries of big power orchestrated genocide, terrorism and warfare and as a small state, we have invested tremendous time and energy…in establishing and maintaining our region as a zone of peace.
“Peace is critical to all that we do in this region, and now that peace is being threatened, we have to speak up,” she said, thanking the former prime minister for their “very strong statement issued by them for the fundamental principle that was agreed upon in the formation of the Caribbean Community…
“I want to thank them because without their statement, we are possibly going to have others think that those who now lead governments are speaking in vain without reflecting on the fact that this has been a core principle of the Caribbean Community from its very inception.
“Thank you, thank you, thank you, prime ministers,” Mottley said, adding that she believes the time has come for the region not to accept any entity “that has the right to engage in extrajudicial killings of persons they suspect of being involved in criminal activities”.
Mottley, who is also an attorney, said, “As I said, we stand for the rule of law, and we believe if there is other intelligence available that would cause you to take action that is an immediate threat to you as a nation, then you have a duty to share it with us.
“But on the face of it, conflating law enforcement with military action is a dangerous step,” Mottley said, adding, “We equally do not accept that any nation in our region or the greater Caribbean should be the subject of an imposition upon them of any unilateral expression of force and violence by any third party or nation.
“If there are conflicts and disputes that need resolution, then the place they need to be taken for such resolution is the United Nations organization, and the methodology that should be deployed for the resolution is one of negotiation nd peaceful actions taken to ensure that we can settle disputes,” she said.
She said Barbados has always made itself available also, noting that the island was the venue for talks between the Venezuelan government and the opposition a few years ago, “because we are friends of all and satellites of none”.
In its statement, the Bishops of the Antilles Episcopal Conference (AEC) said they “view with grave concern” the build-up of naval and other military assets in the Southern Caribbean, and “the potential implications this poses for the socio-economic, political, and humanitarian well-being of our region and its people”.
They said in a few weeks, the world will commemorate the 59th World Day of Peace, and reflecting on the words of the late Pope Paul VI, said “dialogue and cooperation are urgently needed to ease mounting geopolitical tensions and to foster lasting peace.
“At the same time, we must speak clearly to the moral challenges facing our region. The narcotics trade continues to devastate Caribbean societies — eroding lives, futures, and the very moral fabric of our communities.
“This is a grave crisis for the Church and for families everywhere, and one we are duty-bound to confront. Yet, the arbitrary and unwarranted taking of life cannot be justified as a means of resolution. Such acts violate the sacredness of human life.”
They also said that the “disregard for the sovereignty of independent nations cannot be accepted as a reasonable measure in the name of border security.
“War or the threat of war is never the right solution,” the AEC said, adding that the “presence of warships and the disruption of marine livelihoods within our Caribbean waters represent real and immediate threats to regional stability and to the welfare of our nations.
“ As people united by a shared heritage and collective identity, we must continue to reject aggression and intimidation as means of resolving conflict or ideological differences. Our history has shown that discourse and negotiation have served us well as independent nations united in community and cooperation.”
The Bishops say that the Church remains steadfast in the need to protect all in society and that “the objectives of securing our borders and the elimination of the narcotics trade must be pursued with respect for law, the dignity of human life, and with a tacit understanding of our region’s deep commitment to peace
“To those entrusted with leadership, we appeal for a de-escalation of militarisation and a renewed commitment to dialogue and regional unity. To the faithful, we call for renewed focus on faith and trust in the Lord, resisting the discouragement and cynicism that threaten to overwhelm us.
“Acts of reconciliation, the faithful observance of the sacraments, and the family rosary remain powerful expressions of hope — expressions that move heaven and can change the hearts of humankind,” the AEC added.
CMC/pr/ir/2025