Federal

Troops Already on St. Croix See Wider Regional Buildup as Hegseth Declares Caribbean Deployment Is “Not Training”

United States Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth told Marines aboard the USS Iwo Jima in Puerto Rico this week that their deployment to the Caribbean was “not training,” underscoring the seriousness of Washington’s latest military escalation in the region. “What you’re doing right now is not training; this is a real-world exercise on behalf of the vital national interests of the United States of America to end the poisoning of the American people,” Hegseth said on Monday, pointing to the administration’s campaign to stop narcotics from reaching U.S. shores. He was joined on the warship by Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Hegseth’s remarks came as roughly 4,500 U.S. troops were deployed throughout the Caribbean in what officials describe as an aggressive posture toward Venezuela. Surface ships, surveillance aircraft, and a U.S. submarine near Trinidad and Tobago are part of the operation, which follows the Trump administration’s designation of Venezuelan-linked cartels as...