FEATURE | US builds up forces in Caribbean as officials, experts, ask why

A large buildup of US naval forces in and around the Southern Caribbean has officials in Caracas and experts in the United States asking: is the move aimed at combating drug cartels, as the Trump administration has suggested, or is it for something else entirely?

Seven US warships, along with one nuclear-powered fast attack submarine, are either in the region or are expected to be there soon, bringing along more than 4,500 sailors and marines.

US President Donald Trump has said combating drug cartels is a central goal for his administration and US officials have told Reuters that the military efforts aim to address threats from those cartels.

Stephen Miller, deputy White House Chief of Staff, said on Friday the military buildup was aimed to, "combat and dismantle drug trafficking organizations, criminal cartels and these foreign terrorist organizations in our hemisphere."

But it is unclear exactly how the US military presence would disrupt the drug trade.

Among other things, most of the seaborne drug trade travels to the United States via the Pacific, not the Atlantic, where the US forces are, and much of what arrives via the Caribbean comes on clandestine flights.