Caribbean Journey
Why U.S. Warships Are Now Sitting in Jamaica, Trinidad & Guyana's Waters
The United States has deployed its largest military presence in the Caribbean since the Cuban Missile Crisis — up to eleven warships and ten thousand troops under Operation Southern Spear. But this isn't just about Venezuela or drugs. Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago, and Guyana are each being pulled into a new military architecture that could reshape the region for a generation.
Trinidad allowed a U.S. Marine Corps radar system on Tobago costing three million dollars a day to operate. Guyana signed joint military agreements while ExxonMobil pumps nine hundred thousand barrels of oil per day from its waters. Jamaica's Prime Minister is walking a diplomatic tightrope at CARICOM, calling for unity while the region fractures around him.
Then came the Shield of the Americas Summit on March 7, 2026, where President Trump launched a seventeen-nation military coalition — the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition — and Caribbean leaders had to decide: stand with Washington or stand alone.
This video breaks down the verified facts, the geopolitical chess moves, and what it all means for the future of Jamaica, Trinidad, Guyana, and the entire Caribbean.
———————————————————
🔔 Subscribe to Caribbean Journey for in-depth Caribbean geopolitics, history, and analysis
———————————————————
SOURCES & REFERENCES:
• NPR — "Why the build up of U.S. military forces continues in the Caribbean" (February 10, 2026)
https://www.npr.org/2026/02/10/nx-s1-5707466/why-the-build-up-of-u-s-military-forces-continues-in-the-caribbean
• Stars and Stripes — "US maintains strong military force in the Caribbean with 5 warships, thousands of troops" (March 12, 2026)
https://www.stripes.com/branches/navy/2026-03-12/us-presence-caribbean-5-warships-21043276.html
• The Intercept — "U.S. Military Documents Indicate Plans to Keep Troops in Caribbean Through 2028" (November 25, 2025)
https://theintercept.com/2025/11/25/trump-caribbean-venezuela-military-troops/
• CSIS — "Security Challenges in the Caribbean Amid the U.S. Military Deployment" (February 9, 2026)
https://www.csis.org/analysis/security-challenges-caribbean-amid-us-military-deployment
• CNBC — "Oil: What Trump's intervention means for Venezuela and Guyana dispute" (January 12, 2026)
• Army Recognition — "Strategic U.S. Radar Deployment in Tobago Near Venezuela Shifts Regional Surveillance" (November 2025)
• Stabroek News — "US$3 million a day to run radar in Trinidad – PM" (February 28, 2026)
• Trinidad Guardian — "US military officer says radar in Tobago can be used in conflict with Venezuela" (December 8, 2025)
• Jamaica Observer — "Holness urges Caricom to address Cuba crisis 'with clarity and courage'" (February 25, 2026)
• Jamaica Gleaner — "Holness and Persad-Bissessar urge pragmatic approach in CARICOM" (February 24, 2026)
• Military.com — "Rubio Defends US Ouster of Venezuela's Maduro to Caribbean Leaders" (February 25, 2026)
• Wilson Center — "Key Takeaways from the 2026 Shield of the Americas Summit"
• Small Wars Journal — "Operationalizing Hemispheric Defense: What the 2026 National Defense Strategy Means for Latin America" (February 23, 2026)
• New Internationalist — "The return of petro-imperialism" (March 2026)
https://newint.org/military/2026/return-petro-imperialism
• Al Jazeera — "Trump threatens cartels, Cuba at Latin American summit" (March 7, 2026)
• Foreign Policy — "Shield of the Americas: Trump-Latin America Summit Boosts Regional Security Ties" (March 10, 2026)
• Wikipedia — "Operation Southern Spear"
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Operation_Southern_Spear
• Wikipedia — "United States strikes on alleged drug traffickers during Operation Southern Spear"
———————————————————
DISCLAIMER:
This video is intended for educational and informational purposes only. All information presented is based on publicly available sources, including major news outlets, government statements, think tank analyses, and verified reporting. The views and analysis expressed in this video are those of the content creator and do not represent the official position of any government, military organization, or political entity. We encourage viewers to review the sources linked above and form their own informed opinions. This content does not constitute political, legal, or military advice.
———————————————————
© Caribbean Journey 2026. All rights reserved.
#Jamaica #Trinidad #Guyana #Caribbean #USMilitary #OperationSouthernSpear #CARICOM #CaribbeanGeopolitics #Geopolitics #CaribbeanNews #TrumpCaribbean #ShieldOfTheAmericas #Venezuela #CaribbeanOil #ExxonMobil #Essequibo #CaribbeanPolitics #MilitaryStrategy #TrinidadAndTobago #CaribbeanHistory
Published Apr 14, 2026