Trinidad and Tobago to Open Airports to US Military

Marines have already started installing a radar system at one of the airports on the two-island Caribbean nation about 7 miles from Venezuela.

People watch and take pictures of the USS Gravely, a US Navy warship, departing the Port of Port-of-Spain on Oct. 30, 2025. Martin Bernetti/AFP via Getty Images

Caribbean nation Trinidad and Tobago will open its airports to the U.S. military in the coming weeks as tensions continue to build between the United States and Venezuela.

The small two-island nation off the coast of Venezuela reaffirmed its security agreement with the United States Monday.

The pact will help the U.S. military logistically and to allow them to replenish supplies using its two airports, Trinidad and Tobago said.

“The Ministry of Foreign and [Caribbean Community] affairs maintains close engagement with the United States Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago,” Minister Sean Sobers said in a statement. “We welcome the continued support of the United States.”

The U.S. military recently installed a radar system at the Tobago airport, which the island nation said is being used to fight local crime.

Prime Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar told reporters last month that U.S. Marines were already at the airport on the island of Tobago working on its radar, runway, and road.

“They will help us to improve our surveillance and the intelligence of the radars for the narco-traffickers in our waters and outside our waters,” she said, without providing further details.

The announcement follows an escalation of tension between the United States and Venezuela over drug smuggling operations in the Caribbean.

Only 7 miles separate Venezuela from the Caribbean nation.

Last week, the U.S. seized a crude oil tanker off the coast of the country. A court-approved warrant allowed the Trump administration to seize the oil cargo filled with sanctioned oil from Venezuela and Iran.

The U.S. Southern Command has also carried out several strikes against suspected drug boats in the region, which has been criticized heavily by some lawmakers and legal experts.

U.S. Marines conduct an amphibious assault exercise during the multi-domain, combined full mission profile of TRADEWINDS 25 (TW25) at Chaguaramas, Trinidad and Tobago, May 7, 2025. U.S. Army photo by Sgt. John Russell

“We consider Venezuela to be not a friendly country,” Trump said earlier this month.

Trump was lauded Monday by Venezuelan’s opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner María Corina Machado, who said she supported his actions in dealing with Maduro’s regime.

Persad-Bissessar has affirmed his government’s commitment to cooperation and collaboration in the pursuit of safety and security for Trinidad and Tobago and the wider region, Sobers added.

The partnership also allows Trinidad and Tobago, with its population of about 1.3 million, to benefit from joint military training exercises, enhanced surveillance capabilities, and other joint operations that have helped stop the shipment of millions of dollars’ worth of illegal narcotics.

The U.S. embassy in Trinidad has also supported the country’s national development through educational programs, including donations of school equipment and infrastructure projects, according to the island country.