The United States is moving part of its military fleet in the Caribbean toward northern Cuba.
The move comes days after the military operation that culminated in the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas, and amid threats of similar incursions against governments in the region.
Some of the U.S. warships deployed in the Caribbean Sea in the period leading up to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro have been relocated, and two of them are reportedly north of Cuba, according to the Washington Post.
At least the USS Iwo Jima and USS San Antonio have been positioned north of Cuba in the Atlantic Ocean, according to defense officials who spoke to the newspaper on condition of anonymity.
One of them also indicated that one of the ships could return to its home port in Norfolk in the coming weeks, although “the Trump administration is expected to continue military operations in the region.”
The ships remain assigned to U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations across much of Latin America, and could be redeployed to the Caribbean if necessary, a second official added.
Ship-tracking websites, such as cruisingearth.com, currently show both vessels off the coast of Puerto Rico.
These movements, according to the report, reduce the number of U.S. troops in the Caribbean by a few thousand, to approximately 12,000, and come as it remains unclear whether President Donald Trump will deploy ground forces to Venezuela to stabilize security there.
However, the redeployment underscores that their primary mission has been completed and indicates that the Trump administration may reduce the number of ships it maintains in the region as it balances multiple national security priorities.
Some Air Force assets, including CV-22 Special Operations aircraft used for combat search and rescue and MC-130s needed for aerial refueling, have also departed, a third U.S. official reported.
Both aircraft were used to support the incursion against Maduro, who, after being captured by members of the Army's Delta Force, was transported by helicopter to Iwo Jima.
Following the military incursion into Venezuela, threats against Cuba became part of the rhetoric of the US administration. In this regard, Secretary of State Marco Rubio said during the press conference after Maduro's arrest that if he "were in Havana, I would be worried, even if only a little."
For his part, President Trump stated that the island is a "very similar case" to Venezuela. "Cuba is something we'll end up talking about," he declared.
Recently, demands from the White House to the new administration headed by Delcy Rodríguez have come to light, including the severing of relations with Cuba, Russia, China, and Iran.
This condition also puts pressure on the Cuban government, which for decades has relied on logistical support from Venezuela for its survival, amidst the severe and prolonged economic crisis the island is experiencing.
