As expected, Roosevelt Roads has been reactivated

The Puerto Rico Ports Authority revealed it granted the U.S. military the use of the airport inside the once shuttered U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba for $5 million. (Wikipedia)

By THE STAR STAFF

The U.S. Naval Station Roosevelt Roads in Ceiba that was closed more than 20 years ago is now back in operation as the United States builds up forces in the Caribbean ahead of an expected military intervention in Venezuela.

The information was confirmed by several U.S. media outlets and the Puerto Rico Ports Authority, which revealed it granted the U.S. military the use of the airport inside the base for $5 million.

As reported by the STAR on Oct. 27, the Trump administration was planning to reactivate the shuttered Roosevelt Roads, which during its original 60-plus active years was also used at the time for military training and other maneuvers against drug cartels. In early September, a source told CBS News that the U.S. sent 10 F-35 fighter jets to Puerto Rico for operations targeting drug trafficking.

Roosevelt Roads, located on Puerto Rico’s eastern coast, boasts a large-scale airfield and deep-water port facilities. Its proximity -- less than 600 miles from Venezuela -- makes it a potentially vital asset in countering regional threats, federal officials have noted. The base’s origins date back to 1919, when Franklin D. Roosevelt, then assistant secretary of the Navy, identified Ceiba as a strategic location. It was officially named in 1941 and commissioned in 1943. Over the decades, Roosevelt Roads grew into one of the largest U.S. naval facilities in the world, playing a key role during Cold War operations and regional exercises. However, amid growing protests over military practices in nearby Vieques, the base was closed in 2004, resulting in significant economic disruption.

Since then, different governing island administrations unsuccessfully launched plans to redevelop the land where the base is located. The Roosevelt Roads Redevelopment Plan is up in the air as the entity has not had a director since the administration of Gov. Jenniffer González Colón began its tenure.

One online commentator praised the reactivation of the base, if not the strategy behind it.

“In all honesty, I am not sure that Trump knows what he is doing against Maduro. I am not defending Maduro because he is a punk immoral dictator and needs to be deposed. I just don’t think that Trump knows how to do so,” said Armando de Jesús, a member of the Reopen Roosevelt Roads Naval Station Facebook page. “In any case, I am glad to see that Rosy Roads may reopen and this shouldn’t have anything to do with Maduro. I have been reading analysts who admitted that closing the base was a terrible mistake. The USA needs this base as well as expanding its operations in Ramey and Salinas. I am glad to see a partial reopening of some bases in Panama. This assures military dominance in the Caribbean. I am also glad that WWII bases in the Far Pacific are also opening up. The US has neglected its military for far too long.”

Another person, identified as Lynn Hensley, noted that a reopening of the base will improve the economy in the areas of Ceiba, Fajardo and Humacao, and help reduce crime.

“Otherwise, for the good of the island, I hope they permanently re-open the base,” Hensley said in a social media post. “I know the Governor is fine with it!”

CBS quoted a Navy official saying that as of Friday morning, the U.S. had four military ships in the western Atlantic Ocean, including the USS Gerald R. Ford and three guided missile destroyers. It had another seven military ships in the Caribbean Sea, the official said, which included two guided missile destroyers, two guided missile cruisers, an amphibious assault ship and two amphibious transport dock ships.