The maps show the importance to the United States of maintaining a strong presence in the Caribbean by highlighting several key strategic, military, and geopolitical aspects:
- The U.S. military presence in the Caribbean is significant due to its proximity to Venezuela and the broader Latin American region, allowing the U.S. to project power, conduct counternarcotics operations, and rapidly respond to regional instability or threats. This includes deployments of naval vessels, marines, fighter jets, and surveillance aircraft centered around key bases such as Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
- The Caribbean is a strategic gateway for access to both the Atlantic and parts of the Americas, making military control or influence pivotal for protecting U.S. national security interests, including maritime routes and preventing criminal activities like drug trafficking. The presence of advanced military assets and bases shown on the maps underscores the U.S. aim to deter hostile actors and maintain regional dominance.
- Maps illustrate the deployment of a robust force posture including warships capable of launching Tomahawk missiles, surveillance planes, and rapid deployment troops, which function as a deterrent against regional adversaries and assert U.S. authority in a geopolitically sensitive area prone to conflicts and narcotrafficking.
- Historically and politically, the U.S. has viewed the Caribbean as an area requiring supervision to protect its interests and prevent foreign interference, as depicted by the concentration of bases and military resources on the maps. This reflects longstanding doctrines like the Monroe Doctrine and "Dollar Diplomacy," which framed the Caribbean as critical to U.S. defensive and economic strategies.
In sum, the maps visually convey the U.S. strategy of maintaining a strong military and strategic presence in the Caribbean to secure its interests, prevent destabilization, counter narcotics trafficking, and sustain influence over a vital geopolitical zone.