WASHINGTON (Reuters) -Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and the top U.S. general Dan Caine made a surprise visit to Puerto Rico on Monday, the first trip by senior Pentagon officials there since the start of a military buildup in the Caribbean that has escalated tensions with Venezuela.

Hegseth and Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, were seen being received by Puerto Rico’s governor, Jenniffer Gonzalez, in photographs she posted to social media site X.

The Pentagon declined to comment on the trip and no explanation of their travel was provided to reporters.

“We thank @POTUS Trump and his Administration for recognizing the strategic value Puerto Rico has to the national security of the United States and the fight against drug cartels in our hemisphere, perpetuated by narco-di

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