The United States’ top military officer traveled to Puerto Rico on Monday as Washington continues one of its largest naval deployments in the Caribbean in decades, escalating tensions with Venezuela centred on alleged anti-drug operations.

Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Donald Trump’s chief military adviser, met with troops stationed in Puerto Rico and on board a Navy warship in regional waters on Monday. Caine’s office said the visit would allow him to “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions”.

It is Caine’s second trip to the region since the Pentagon expanded its operations in the Caribbean, including the deployment of the Gerald R Ford, the Navy’s newest and largest aircraft carrier. During the firs

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