By Jim Wyss
Oct 14, 2025 (Bloomberg) –The head of the US Southern Command is visiting key Caribbean nations this week, as President Donald Trump’s administration surges forces into the region in a bid to hem in Venezuela.
Navy Admiral Alvin Holsey will meet with the leaders of Antigua and Barbuda, as well as Grenada, starting Tuesday, according to the the US embassy in Barbados.
“The meetings will center on reaffirming the longstanding security collaboration with both nations and shared challenges that affect the Eastern Caribbean, including transnational organized crime, illicit trafficking, and border security,” the embassy said in a statement.
Washington is asking Grenada — a tiny nation that the US invaded in 1983 after a military coup — to host a temporary radar base and technical personnel. Grenada has said it’s considering the request but is weighing issues of sovereignty, public safety and national interest.
Antigua and Barbuda’s prime minister, meanwhile, has ruled out hosting any foreign military installations on the twin-island nation.
Holsey’s visit is his first to the two countries since he took over SOUTHCOM last November, and comes amid increased tensions. The US began deploying at least eight ships and thousands of troops to the waters around Venezuela in August, with the Trump administration describing the build-up as an attempt to shutdown drug trafficking routes.
Since then, at least four alleged drug-trafficking vessels have been destroyed and 21 people have been killed, according to US government statements. But the lack of details and the use of lethal force has led to questions about the legality of the operations.
Both Antigua and Grenada have, at times, been solid allies of Venezuela, particularly since the South American nation provided subsidized fuel to the Caribbean under the PetroCaribe program.
Phone calls and emails to SOUTHCOM seeking comment weren’t immediately returned.
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