WHY US NAVY VESSEL CAME TO T&T

THE United States Naval Ship Burlington has spent three days in Port of Spain – but it was not just a goodwill visit, as Government officials are portraying it. 

National Security Minister Fitzgerald Hinds took to social media to tout the luncheon he enjoyed with the ship’s sailors, but there was a much larger purpose to the stop-over. 

The vessel could be configured to carry a battalion of up to 1,000 personnel and 600 tons of cargo, at high speeds. 

Sailors of the Spearhead-class expeditionary fast transport ship engaged in mock military exercises with the local Defence Force. 

The US Embassy in Port of Spain said the visit “exemplifies the strong bilateral relationship” between both countries. 

The visit was meant to foster military connections between the US and T&T, and to familiarise the crew with local geography, in the midst of growing geopolitical tensions in the Caribbean and South America. 

CounterPunchTT has been reporting exclusively that the US is seeking to strengthen its political and military ties in the region, in the midst of increasing soft diplomacy from China. 

The Chinese authorities have developed close relations with the Rowley Administration, and is expected to secure a long-term lease for cargo handling at the ports of Port of Spain, Scarborough, and, quite likely, Point Lisas. 

The visit of Burlington is just one of several initiatives by the Americans in this part of the world. 

A few days ago, the US took steps to assist Australia in acquiring nuclear-powered submarines, “in a major step toward countering China,” CNN reported. 

Britain also partnered in the project. 

US President Joe Biden said the measure was “another historic step to deepen and formalise cooperation among all three of our nations because we all recognise the imperative of ensuring peace and stability in the Indo-Pacific over the long-term.” 

The US authorities are involved in a number of other measures in the Caribbean and Latin America, designed to strengthen relations and boost influence.