The pending arrival of the USS Gravely (DDG-107) in Port-of-Spain tomorrow has drawn attention and anxiety. This comes at a time of rising geopolitical tension between the United States and Venezuela. The US Navy destroyer—a vessel armed for air, surface, and submarine warfare and crewed by 300 sailors—will reportedly visit for cooperation, training, and mutual trust.
According to the Ministry of Foreign and Caricom Affairs, the Gravely’s visit aims to strengthen US–T&T military cooperation. Activities include expert exchanges in infantry tactics, maintenance, and medical capabilities. They will use T&T Defence Force (TTDF) facilities to enhance proficiency.
On the surface, this appears to be a standard exercise in partnership. But given the warship’s formidable armament, including missile-launching systems and a five-inch cannon, it inevitably carries symbolic weight: a projection of American military presence in a region already on edge.
That symbolism is not lost on regional observers—or on former leaders who remember the Caribbean’s longstanding commitment to peace and neutrality. Adding a significant twist to the unfolding discussion, former prime minister Dr Keith Rowley has signed a joint declaration by ten former Caribbean heads of government calling for the region to remain “a zone of peace where the rule of law prevails.”
In a statement marking his 76th birthday yesterday, Dr Rowley said he found it “necessary and dutiful” to endorse the declaration, which expresses concern over “increased military buildup and the presence of nuclear vessels and aircraft in the Caribbean.”
The declaration, titled “Our Caribbean Space: A Zone of Peace on Land, Sea & Airspace where the Rule of Law Prevails,” urges governments to resist being drawn into external conflicts and to uphold international law.
Rowley reflected on T&T’s historic leadership in promoting regional unity and sovereignty.
“It was Trinidad and Tobago’s voice, supported by all my colleagues, when we affirmed that ‘together we are stronger,’” he said. “We may be small, but not insignificant, and our voice and our interests should be respected.” He went further, calling it “embarrassing” that the country has now “recklessly subscribed to actions that abandon those principles.”
“It is a dangerous dereliction of duty, under any circumstances, to embrace the discarded colonial mantra that ‘might is right’ and that the rule of law—local or international—is an inconvenience and a humbug,” he warned.
Rowley’s remarks—and the wider declaration, signed by ex-leaders, including PJ Patterson, Kenny Anthony, Dean Barrow, and Bruce Golding—resonate strongly ahead of the Gravely’s visit. Their message is clear: the Caribbean must safeguard its hard-won autonomy and preserve its identity as a region of peace and stability, not a staging ground for global rivalries.
T&T, long respected for its non-aligned diplomacy, now faces a crucial test. Engagement with the United States is both necessary and beneficial in areas such as training, disaster response, and intelligence sharing. But such cooperation must be transparent and grounded in the national interest—not seen as a tacit endorsement of a military buildup near our shores.
The government must communicate clearly that welcoming a US warship does not signal abandonment of the region’s founding principle: that Caribbean peace is best preserved by neutrality, dialogue, and respect for sovereignty.
The USS Gravely’s presence should serve as a reminder that T&T’s strength lies not in military might, but in its steadfast commitment to peace, law, and independence. As the former leaders have rightly declared, our Caribbean space must remain a zone of peace—on land, sea, and air.
