Trump officials say the mission aims to disrupt the drug trade. But military officials and analysts say the real goal might be driving Venezuela’s president from power.
As tensions in the Caribbean Sea have risen, the Pentagon has dispatched 10 F-35 stealth fighters to Puerto Rico to deter Venezuelan flyovers near U.S. ships and to be positioned should President Trump order airstrikes against targets in Venezuela.
The 747 jetliner needs extensive security modifications. Some members of Congress worry that President Trump will pressure the Air Force to do the work too quickly.
The new plane will be the third aircraft being retrofitted for use as Air Force One, replacing two planes that have been in use for 35 years and have had maintenance problems.
The president said the vessel was heading to the United States, but he did not offer details about its location. Legal specialists condemned the action as illegal.
Thousands of armed troops are deployed as part of President Trump’s crime crackdown. So far, it has been a lot of beautification projects and assisting the local police.
The flyover took place two days after the United States carried out a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean that U.S. officials said was carrying drugs.
The flyover took place two days after the United States carried out a military strike on a boat in the Caribbean that U.S. officials said was carrying drugs.
The U.S. guided-missile destroyer Sampson in Panama City on Tuesday. The Pentagon has been amassing a small armada of warships in the southern Caribbean.
President Trump signed a still-secret directive in July instructing the Pentagon to use military force against some Latin American drug cartels that his administration has labeled “terrorist” organizations.
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