"Intimidating Maduro", the US is upgrading a defunct naval base

Recently, the United States has been expanding its military activities in the Caribbean Sea, and the relationship between the United States and Venezuela has remained tense. According to Reuters on November 2, photos and satellite images show that the U.S. military is upgrading a defunct military base in the Caribbean. Analysts believe this indicates that the U.S. may be preparing for sustained operations, possibly to intimidate Venezuelan President Maduro.

To track the U.S. military activities in the Caribbean region, Reuters took photos of the U.S. military base and analyzed satellite images from the past two months, as well as ship and flight tracking data. According to these materials, starting from September 17 local time, the U.S. carried out a series of renovations and upgrades to the Roosevelt Roads Naval Base in Puerto Rico.

Puerto Rico is an overseas territory of the United States, facing Venezuela across the sea. The Roosevelt Roads Naval Base was built in the 1940s and was once one of the largest U.S. naval bases, which was closed by the U.S. Navy in 2004.

From the photos, the U.S. military is clearing and renovating the runway of the base and installing portable air traffic support equipment and other mobile security equipment. In the satellite image taken on October 29, 20 tents were seen near an abandoned hangar. Mark Cancian, a retired U.S. Marine Corps colonel and senior advisor at the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS), believes that the U.S. military is preparing to increase the number of military aircraft landings and takeoffs.

Christopher Hernandez-Roy, a researcher at CSIS, said: "If your focus is currently on the Western Hemisphere, it is reasonable to re-activate a former large naval base and ensure it can accommodate various types of aircraft used by the U.S. military."

Reuters found that Rafael Hernández Airport in Puerto Rico also changed. As of mid-October, the U.S. military had deployed communication equipment and mobile air traffic control towers at this civilian airport. Military experts said that mobile air traffic control towers are used to coordinate a surge in aircraft takeoffs and landings in a certain area, usually in war zones or after disasters.

Satellite images also showed that U.S. MQ-9 drones were present at Rafael Hernández Airport, and ammunition storage facilities were being built near the airport. Cancian analyzed that these facilities could be used for the U.S. long-term anti-drug operations, but could also be used for short-term actions against Venezuela.

At the same time, satellite images taken in September and October showed that the U.S. military was renovating the parking apron at Henry Rohlson Airport on St. Croix in the U.S. Virgin Islands. U.S. officials revealed that the renovated parking apron would allow more U.S. military aircraft to park and refuel.

From videos shot by local residents, the U.S. military also installed new radar systems at Henry Rohlson Airport. Hernandez-Roy believes that these changes may be to facilitate more U.S. military aircraft entering the region and to enhance radar surveillance capabilities. "There is a gap in the radar coverage over Haiti," he claimed, "which is a major blind spot for intercepting drug trafficking planes."

U.S. military officials and maritime experts told Reuters that the U.S. activities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands indicate that the U.S. military has the capability to conduct operations within Venezuela. Hernandez-Roy analyzed: "I think all these things are to intimidate Maduro and his generals, trying to create cracks."

Since August this year, the U.S. has deployed at least 13 warships, 5 support ships, and one nuclear submarine to the Caribbean Sea. Analysts noted that a ship associated with U.S. special forces, MV Ocean Trader, has also appeared in the region. This ship can deploy helicopters of U.S. special forces and can also be used to transport landing forces.

Reuters discovered the MV Ocean Trader in September's satellite images, but could not determine when it was deployed to the region. In October, the ship was found docked in the port city of Ponce in Puerto Rico.

The U.S. Department of Defense previously announced that the U.S. Navy's Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group will be deployed to the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility, i.e., the waters around Latin America. Satellite images show that the "Ford" aircraft carrier strike group has left the Mediterranean and on October 29, a destroyer from the strike group was found passing through the Strait of Gibraltar.

In addition, there has been a significant increase in U.S. military air activity near the Venezuelan coastline. Flight tracking data shows that on October 15, three U.S. B-52 bombers took off from Louisiana, circled near Venezuela, and then returned to their base. In late October, U.S. B-1 bombers took off from Texas and North Dakota and flew near the Venezuelan coast.

During October, at least a dozen U.S. reconnaissance planes took off from Florida and flew south over the Caribbean Sea. Dozens of U.S. C-17 transport planes took off from all over the United States, transporting supplies to the Caribbean region. Military experts predict that these transport planes may be supplying U.S. ships or transporting weapon systems and drones to the bases in Puerto Rico.

Regarding Reuters' findings, the U.S. Department of Defense and the Puerto Rican government have not yet responded. The office of the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands, Albert Bryan Jr., issued a statement saying that he had coordinated to some extent with the U.S. military, but did not know the details and future plans of the U.S. military actions. "He believes that the presence of the U.S. military in the region can strengthen security and prevent drugs and weapons from being smuggled through the area."

Original: www.toutiao.com/article/1847691269784579/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author.