by Linda Straker
- Radar equipment and associated technical personnel requested o be temporarily installed at MBIA
- In recent months, the US has been expanding its military presence in the region
- Grenada offered willingness as interlocutor and facilitator for peaceful dialogue
Grenada’s government has confirmed receiving a request from the US Trump Administration for it to temporarily install radar equipment and associated technical personnel at the Maurice Bishop International Airport (MBIA). “The Ministries of National Security, Legal Affairs and Foreign Affairs are carefully assessing and reviewing the request in technical consultations, in coordination with the Grenada Airports Authority and other relevant agencies,” said a press release disseminated by the government late on Thursday, 9 October.
“At this stage, the Government of Grenada is carefully reviewing the request in accordance with established national procedures. Any decisions will be made only after all technical and legal assessments are completed.” The release assured citizens that any decision taken will be guided by, among other things, public safety and protection of the tourism industry. “We wish to assure our citizens that any decision taken will be guided by Grenada’s sovereignty, public safety, and national interest, including the protection of our tourism industry, the travelling public, and the country’s economic well-being. The government will continue to keep the public informed as developments unfold.”
In recent months, the US has been expanding its military presence in the region. Reuters reported in August 2025 that the Pentagon had ordered the deployment of air and naval forces to the southern Caribbean to counter drug trafficking and transnational criminal organisations. To date, the US military has bombed 4 boats with people it claimed were engaging in drug trafficking.
There is also a naval buildup of at least 7 warships and one nuclear-powered fast-attack submarine has drawn attention — and criticism — for its scale and implications. On Wednesday, the US Senate blocked a preliminary move to terminate President Donald Trump’s use of the military to destroy boats carrying alleged Venezuelan drug traffickers, unless he gets authorisation from Congress. The effort, spearheaded by Democratic Senators Adam Schiff of California and Tim Kaine of Virginia, and with the backing of Republican Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky, was stopped by a vote of 48–51.
On 17 September, the Government of Grenada issued a statement saying that it views with serious concern the recent escalation of activities within the Caribbean Sea, a vital region for the livelihoods and stability of the island. The release said that this space is the lifeblood for fishers and inter-island traders, whose safety and freedom of movement are paramount. “While we acknowledge the challenges posed by illicit maritime activities, we are committed to addressing them through strengthened regional cooperation and lawful means.”
Offering Grenada’s willingness as an interlocutor and facilitator for peaceful dialogue, the release said the country maintains cordial and constructive relations with all its neighbours. “We firmly believe that dialogue and diplomacy are the only acceptable tools for resolving differences,” said the release, which reaffirmed Grenada’s unwavering commitment to the principle of the Caribbean as a Zone of Peace.
In his recent address to the United Nations General Assembly, Prime Minister Dickon Mitchell said that the Caribbean as a zone of peace is not simply a diplomatic phrase. It is a pledge to the people because conflict undermines development, and peace is the first investment in people.
CARICOM must come together and stand against the actions of the erratic President Trump. If Trump has intelligence that drugs are being trafficked from Venezuela to the USA, why not confront the drug dealers when they enter American waters? We must reject Trump’s request to take military action, as it would endanger lives. We cannot afford to have a war in the Caribbean.
It is no secret that the US had ominous designs for the Island nation of Grenada for decades. Under Reagan, the idea of a self-empowering island nation through its sovereign negotiations and construction of its very own international airport was a non-starter for the US. The administration responded with touted threats of communism and then instigated a civil war which brought US boots to the nation. The Prime Miniter was assassinated, and the Island was restored to a place of reaching for a higher standing for its people and history. Three decades have past where US policies have made no offers to Grenada and the Caribbean as a whole has not been able to formulate a strong and cohesive economic zone that would lift fortunes of all who share in resources of the Caribbean. The nations offer individually to the rest of the world rather than as a cohesive economic zone. A zone that would deliver professionals in all disciplines for the benefit of mother earth. This proposal to install radar equipment in Grenada would be better suited to a site in Trinidad as it is much closer to the phantom threat of a rogue Venezuelan government. One must ask what kind of radar equipment would be complementary to all of the radar resources already available to the US military. This equipment would be the eight military radars installed on the naval vessels already operating in the region, the satellites overhead including the ones under Musk, Bezos, and the secret ones, and the specialized military aircraft also operating in the region. Grenada’s radar would participate in blockading movement in the region for all of its neighbors and this is just more of the same meddling of US policies with sovereign dreams and aspirations. An active radar participation would make use of the power generation existing on island for peaceful purpose now corrupted for a military and a UN-unrecognized purpose. I hope that as the proposal is reviewed, that your Caribbean partners are also consulted.
Of the two types of radars, there are active and passive, coherent and non-coherent. To make an active radar effective for maritime tracking purposes, the tower and antenna would need to be elevated to at least 80m above mean sea level. A tower at the Grenada airport (47m above sea level) would mean the mountains to the north would provide significant shielding affecting the northward active signals. Still, any radar on the mountain tops would require enormous resources to supply power and monitoring.
A tower on a mountain top of Grenada would still only provide less than 200 miles of 360-degree maritime coverage. It is more likely that a station on the island at or near the airport would provide information and data intelligence and also be a vector for jamming and interference operations. The radar range equation exists as:
R_max=∜((P_s G^2 λ^2 σ)/(P_(E_min ) (4π)^3 L_ges ))
R_max=k∜(P_s )
R_max≈∜(P_s )
P_s-transmitted power, G-system Gain, σ-radar cross section, λ-wavelength, L-loss, P_Emin-received power
In order to double the range, the transmitted power would have to be increased by 16-fold.
Sincerely,
US Black Electrical Engineer