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The United States<\/span> is formulating plans to feed a massive military presence in the Caribbean almost to the end of President Donald Trump\u2019s term in office \u2014 suggesting the recent influx of American troops to the region won\u2019t end anytime soon.<\/p>\n As gossip, official leaks, and RUMINT (a portmanteau of rumor and intelligence) about a coming war with Venezuela reign in Washington, Defense Department contracting documents reviewed by The Intercept offer one of the most concrete indications of the Pentagon\u2019s plans for operations in the Caribbean Sea over the next three years.<\/p>\n The contracting documents earmark food supplies for almost every branch of the U.S. military, including the Coast Guard, Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps. They detail an effort by the Defense Logistics Agency, or DLA, to source \u201cFresh Bread & Bakery products to Department of Defense (\u2018DoD\u2019, or \u2018Troop\u2019) customers in the Puerto Rico Zone.\u201d One spreadsheet outlining supplies for \u201cPuerto Rico Troops\u201d notes tens of thousands of pounds of baked goods are scheduled for delivery from November 15 of this year to November 11, 2028.<\/p>\n Foodstuff set to feed the troops include individually wrapped honey buns, vanilla cupcakes, sweet rolls, hamburger rolls, and flour tortillas.<\/p>\n \u201cThe procurement\u2019s length of time and the level of effort seemed to point to these operations continuing at the current level for several years.\u201d <\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<\/figure>\n The Pentagon has built up a force of 15,000 troops in the Caribbean since the summer \u2014 the largest naval flotilla in the Caribbean since the Cold War. That contingent now includes 5,000 sailors aboard the USS Gerald R. Ford, the Navy\u2019s newest and most powerful aircraft carrier, which has more than 75 attack, surveillance, and support aircraft.<\/p>\n The surge of combat power comes as the U.S. has conducted more than 20 strikes on suspected drug smuggling boats in the Caribbean Sea and Pacific Ocean, killing more than 80 civilians. As part of that effort, the Trump administration has secretly declared<\/a> that it is engaged in a \u201cnon-international armed conflict\u201d with 24 cartels, gangs, and armed groups including C\u00e1rtel de los Soles, which the U.S. claims is \u201cheaded by Nicolas Maduro and other high-ranking Venezuelan individuals,\u201d despite little evidence that such a group exists<\/a>. Experts and insiders see this as part of a plan for regime change<\/a> in Venezuela that stretches back <\/a>to Trump\u2019s first term<\/a>. Maduro, the president of Venezuela, denies that he heads a cartel.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Mark Cancian, an analyst with the Center for Strategic and International Studies, told The Intercept that the documents suggest the outsized American military presence in the Caribbean could continue for years.<\/p>\n \u201cThe procurement\u2019s length of time and the level of effort seemed to point to these operations continuing at the current level for several years,\u201d said Cancian, who previously worked on defense procurement at the Office of Management and Budget. \u201cThat\u2019s significant because it means that the Navy will maintain a large presence in the Caribbean that is far larger than what it has been in recent years. It further implies that the Navy will be involved in these counter-drug operations.\u201d<\/p>\n The Pentagon has tried to keep the details of its military buildup in the region under wraps, failing to answer questions from The Intercept about troop levels, the bulking up of bases, and warships being surged into the Caribbean. \u201cFor operational security reasons, we do not release itemized operational details of asset, unit, and troop movements and locations,\u201d said a spokesperson for Southern Command, which oversees military operations in the region. \u201cInformation released is published via official communication web sites and social media accounts, or shared with reporters via news releases and updates.\u201d<\/p>\n The Trump administration has deployed at least 13 warships, five support vessels and a nuclear submarine \u2014 including the Ford<\/a>, which is the largest vessel of its kind \u2014 to the region since August. This ramp-up includes three guided-missile destroyers: the USS Jason Dunham, the USS Gravely, and the USS Stockdale. Adm. Alvin Holsey, the outgoing SOUTHCOM commander<\/a>, recently visited<\/a> the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, which has been operating in the Caribbean for months<\/a>. The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group includes the Iwo Jima; amphibious transport dock ships; and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, or MEU, a unit especially skilled in amphibious landings.<\/p>\n One DLA document lists as recipients of the food an array of U.S. naval vessels known to be involved in ongoing buildup of troops and vessels including the Iwo Jima, Fort Lauderdale, San Antonio, Jason Dunham, Gravely, and Stockdale, as well as the special operations mothership MV Ocean Trader, which makes periodic appearances at hot spots<\/a> around the world. The list also mentions the USS Truxtun, a guided missile destroyer not previously reported as part of the Caribbean naval buildup.<\/p>\n As the troops have flooded into the region, the quantities of food and costs listed in the contracting documents have mushroomed.<\/p>\n The initial contracting documents, released in August, included cost estimates and an estimated deliverable quantity of food linked to three locations in Puerto Rico. These were revised in September and October. Hanna Homestead of the National Priorities Project, who analyzed the documents for The Intercept, noted that the final amendment, released on October 9, included a cost estimate that increased 40 percent from the original request. The amount of food, measured in pounds, also skyrocketed 450 percent, she observed. And the number of locations in Puerto Rico jumped from three to 16.<\/p>\n \u201cThose specific ships will be rotated in the months ahead, but they are likely a placeholder for the level of effort,\u201d Cancian added. \u201cAs these ships leave, the assumption is that others will replace them. One of the questions we hope the new National Defense Strategy answers is whether this larger Caribbean deployment is long term. This food order seems to imply that it is, though the regional logistical command may just be preparing for a higher level of demand, without being sure whether the new strategy will dictate that.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n\n