The U.S. Navy reported testing four intercontinental ballistic missiles last week. Launched from waters off the east coast of Florida, an apparent display of military strength. This comes at a time marked by Washington’s military deployment in the Caribbean, which has heightened tensions with Venezuela.
While it is common for the U.S. military to report missile tests after the fact, the Navy emphasized in a statement that these tests “were not conducted in response to any international event.” The text mentions that one of the four launches, the one carried out last Sunday, “lit up the night sky and was visible from Puerto Rico.”
The explicit reference to Puerto Rico, located about 435 miles from Venezuela’s coast, does not appear coincidental. Considering the test launches were conducted in a quadrant off Florida’s eastern coast, roughly 930 miles from the U.S. territory.
The tested projectiles, launched from an Ohio-class submarine between September 17 and 21, were Trident II D5 missiles. A submarine-launched ballistic missile (SLBM) capable of carrying nuclear warheads with an estimated range of about 7,456 miles.
To combat drug trafficking from Venezuelan shores, the U.S. has deployed at least eight ships since August, including destroyers and amphibious assault and transport vessels. It has also deployed a nuclear-powered submarine, though it is a Los Angeles-class vessel without nuclear weapons capability.
It has also sent several next-generation F-35B fighter jets to Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Washington has reported destroying four drug boats from Venezuela in recent weeks. Analysts consider such a military deployment excessive for stopping vessels of this type on a route that typically does not see large-scale drug trafficking.
The operation has drawn sharp condemnation from Venezuela’s regime, which has accused the White House of attempting to force Nicolás Maduro’s ouster.
Image: DiarioNY
