The USS Gravely, a guided-missile destroyer, arrived Oct. 26 in Port-of-Spain, the capital of Trinidad and Tobago, which is within 500 miles of Venezuela.

The U.S. Embassy in Trinidad and Tobago announced Oct. 24 that the ship will moor in the capital from Oct. 26 to 30 while the 22nd U.S. Marine Expeditionary Unit trains with the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force.

“Together, we address shared threats like transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts,” U.S. Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said in the announcement. “Our longstanding partnership has provided medical care and disaster preparedness training, improved lives, and strengthened communities. Our cooperation ensures greater safety and stability across the Caribbean region.”

However, Venezuelan Vice President Delcy Rodriguez issued a statement Oct. 26 making accusations after Venezuela said it had captured mercenaries who admitted knowing of a U.S. intelligence plan to carry out a false-flag attack in the region, according to a Reuters report.

“A false flag attack is underway in waters bordering Trinidad and Tobago or from Trinidadian or Venezuelan territory to generate a full military confrontation with our country,” the statement said, according to the report.

The Associated Press reported Oct. 25 that Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro said in a national broadcast Oct. 24 that the U.S. government is “fabricating a new eternal war” – one “that we will avoid.”

Maduro is trying to cancel the passport of Leopoldo López, AP reported.

López is an opposing leader who was a political prisoner from 2014 to 2020.

As CatholicVote previously reported, Sean Parnell, the chief spokesperson for the Pentagon, said Oct. 24 that the U.S. Secretary of War had “directed the Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group and embarked carrier air wing to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR)” because of President Donald Trump’s aim to defend the U.S. from narcoterrorism.Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., said in an Oct. 26 interview with CBS’s “Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan” that Trump told him Oct. 25 that he will brief congressmen about “future potential military operations against Venezuela and Colombia” after he returns from Asia.