WASHINGTON – The United States is deploying additional warships to the Caribbean as tensions with Venezuela continue to rise. According to naval news platform Marineschepen, the deployment includes several destroyers, an amphibious task force with over 2,000 Marines, the cruiser USS Lake Erie—equipped with 122 Tomahawk missile launch cells—and the nuclear-powered submarine USS Newport News.

The vessels are expected to arrive in the region early next week. However, the scheduled port call of the U.S. destroyer USS Jason Dunham in Curaçao was abruptly canceled yesterday without explanation.

Prime Minister Gilmar Pisas stressed that Curaçao will remain neutral but acknowledged the concerns of the local population. The island lies just 65 kilometers off the Venezuelan coast, raising fears that Curaçao could be drawn into a potential conflict.

Meanwhile, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the mobilization of 4.5 million citizens and confirmed that additional troops are being deployed to the border with Colombia. Venezuelan naval vessels and drones will also patrol and secure the country’s territorial waters.

The developments underscore the growing volatility in the region, with Curaçao’s strategic location once again placing the island in the middle of geopolitical tensions between Washington and Caracas.