WASHINGTON: The nation’s top military officer is visiting American troops Monday in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region, where the US has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships and has been attacking alleged drug-smuggling boats.
Gen. Dan Caine, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and President Donald Trump’s primary military adviser, will be joined by David L. Isom, the senior enlisted adviser to Caine. Caine’s office said in a statement that the men will “engage with service members and thank them for their outstanding support to regional missions.”
This will be Caine’s second visit to the region since the US military started building up its presence, which now includes the nation’s most advanced aircraft carrier. Caine and Defense Secretary Pete Hegsethcame to Puerto Rico in September after ships carrying hundreds of US Marines arrived for what officials said was a training exercise.
Hegseth said then that the deployed Marines were “on the front lines of defending the American homeland.”
Caine’s visit this week comes as Trump evaluates whether to take military action against Venezuela, which he has not ruled out as part of his administration’s escalating campaign to combat drug trafficking into the US The buildup of American warships and the strikes, which have killed more than 80 people on 21 alleged drug boats, are seen by many as a pressure tactic on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to resign.
The Trump administration also is ramping up pressure by designating the Cartel de los Soles, or Cartel of the Suns, as a foreign terrorist organization, although the entity that the US government alleges is led by Maduro is not a cartel per se.
Until this year, the label of foreign terrorist organization had been reserved for groups like the Islamic State or Al-Qaeda that use violence for political ends. The Trump administration applied it in February to eight Latin American criminal organizations involved in drug trafficking, migrant smuggling and other activities.
The administration blames such designated groups for operating the boats it is striking but rarely identifies the organizations and has not provided any evidence.
Hegseth said last week that the designation of Cartel de los Soles will provide a “whole bunch of new options to the United States” for dealing with Maduro. In an interview with conservative news outlet OAN, Hegseth did not provide details on what those options are and declined to say whether the US military planned to strike land targets inside Venezuela.
“So nothing is off the table, but nothing’s automatically on the table,” he said.
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Top US military adviser visits Caribbean as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela
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Top US military adviser visits Caribbean as Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuela
- The United States’ top military officer is visiting American troops in Puerto Rico and on a Navy warship in the region
- The US has amassed an unusually large fleet of warships in South American waters and has been attacking alleged drug smuggling boats
Chaos erupts at Indian airports as country’s largest airline cancels flights
NEW DELHI: Chaos gripped major Indian airports Friday as passengers of the country’s biggest airline, IndiGo, scrambled to cope up with widespread flight disruptions and cancelations triggered by newly enforced rules limiting working hours for crew and pilots.
Scenes of frustration played out as passengers slept on airport floors, queued for hours at customer service counters and waited without clear communication from the airline.
Friday was the fourth straight day of disruptions as the low cost carrier struggles with new regulations that mandate longer rest periods and limit night flying hours to address concerns about fatigue and safety.
The first phase of the rules came into effect in July while the second phase kicked in November. IndiGo struggled to adapt its rosters in time, resulting in widespread cancelations and disruptions.
On Thursday, more than 300 IndiGo flights were grounded while several hundreds delayed. A passenger advisory from the Delhi airport Friday stated that all domestic IndiGo flights will remain canceled until midnight. Other major airlines, including Air India, have not faced similar issues so far.
IndiGo operates around 2,300 flights daily and controls nearly 65 percent of India’s domestic aviation market.
Senior citizen Sajal Bose was scheduled to travel with his wife Senjuti Bose early Friday from Kolkata to New Delhi to attend a friend’s silver jubilee celebration. His flight was canceled an hour before the scheduled take off.
Bose told The Associated Press he was now taking a nine-hour train ride to the city Bagdogra, where he plans to get a flight to New Delhi on another airline. “Its very irresponsible and complete negligence. Very difficult for older people like us,” he said.
In an internal email to employees this week, seen by The Associated Press, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologized, and cited technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion and the implementation of the new rules as the reasons for flight disruptions.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement that the disruptions arose primarily through misjudgment and planning gaps as the airline implemented phase two of the new rules, and that the airline acknowledged that the effect on crew strength exceeded their expectations.
IndiGo has sought temporary exemptions in implementing the new rules and told the government that corrective measures were underway. It has indicated the operations will be fully restored by Feb. 10.
More cancelations are expected in the next couple of weeks, and the airline said it would reduce its flight operations from Dec. 8 to minimize disruptions.
Scenes of frustration played out as passengers slept on airport floors, queued for hours at customer service counters and waited without clear communication from the airline.
Friday was the fourth straight day of disruptions as the low cost carrier struggles with new regulations that mandate longer rest periods and limit night flying hours to address concerns about fatigue and safety.
The first phase of the rules came into effect in July while the second phase kicked in November. IndiGo struggled to adapt its rosters in time, resulting in widespread cancelations and disruptions.
On Thursday, more than 300 IndiGo flights were grounded while several hundreds delayed. A passenger advisory from the Delhi airport Friday stated that all domestic IndiGo flights will remain canceled until midnight. Other major airlines, including Air India, have not faced similar issues so far.
IndiGo operates around 2,300 flights daily and controls nearly 65 percent of India’s domestic aviation market.
Senior citizen Sajal Bose was scheduled to travel with his wife Senjuti Bose early Friday from Kolkata to New Delhi to attend a friend’s silver jubilee celebration. His flight was canceled an hour before the scheduled take off.
Bose told The Associated Press he was now taking a nine-hour train ride to the city Bagdogra, where he plans to get a flight to New Delhi on another airline. “Its very irresponsible and complete negligence. Very difficult for older people like us,” he said.
In an internal email to employees this week, seen by The Associated Press, IndiGo CEO Pieter Elbers apologized, and cited technology glitches, schedule changes, adverse weather conditions, heightened congestion and the implementation of the new rules as the reasons for flight disruptions.
The Civil Aviation Ministry said in a statement that the disruptions arose primarily through misjudgment and planning gaps as the airline implemented phase two of the new rules, and that the airline acknowledged that the effect on crew strength exceeded their expectations.
IndiGo has sought temporary exemptions in implementing the new rules and told the government that corrective measures were underway. It has indicated the operations will be fully restored by Feb. 10.
More cancelations are expected in the next couple of weeks, and the airline said it would reduce its flight operations from Dec. 8 to minimize disruptions.
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