Venezuelan armed forces begin drills in Caribbean

Venezuela"s armed forces have begun the Sovereign Caribbean 200 military maneuver near the island of La Orchila in Venezuela"s territorial waters, Report informs via TASS.

"At the instruction of Venezuela"s constitutional President Nicolas Maduro, I order to begin the Sovereign Caribbean exercise, which will strengthen our defense capacity," Venezolana de Television quoted Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez as saying.

According to the minister, the three-day drills will involve all types of the Venezuelan armed forces: aerospace, special, reconnaissance, electronic warfare, naval, airborne, ground, and aerospace defense forces.

The drills are conducted amid the deployment of US naval forces in the Caribbean, when, according to President Maduro, Venezuela is faced with the biggest threat of US aggression it has seen in the past 100 years.