PORT-OF-SPAIN — The United States pursued establishing a radar station in Trinidad and Tobago after Grenada first refused to host such a facility.
Here are the key details:
- Grenada’s Refusal: In early 1983, during the tenure of the New Jewel Movement government led by Prime Minister Maurice Bishop, the United States proposed constructing a regional military radar station in Grenada. This facility was intended to provide surveillance over the eastern Caribbean as part of the Regional Security System. Bishop’s government explicitly rejected the proposal, citing concerns over sovereignty and opposition to the perceived expansion of U.S. military influence in the region. This refusal was a significant point of contention in the deteriorating relationship between the two countries.
- Subsequent Agreement with Trinidad and Tobago: Following Grenada’s rejection, the United States successfully negotiated with Trinidad and Tobago to host the radar station. In September 1982, prior to Grenada’s outright refusal, Trinidad and Tobago had already agreed to allow the installation of a PAVE PAWS early-warning radar system. After Grenada declined to participate, Trinidad and Tobago proceeded with hosting the facility. Construction began in 1983, and the station, located at Mount Dillet in Chaguas, became operational in the mid-1980s.
This sequence of events is well-documented in historical accounts of U.S. security policy in the Caribbean during the Cold War. The radar station in Trinidad and Tobago was explicitly intended to fulfill the same regional surveillance role—monitoring potential Soviet air and missile activity—that the United States had originally sought to establish in Grenada.Supporting evidence includes:
- Statements from U.S. officials, such as those in the Department of State’s official justification for the subsequent military intervention in Grenada in October 1983, which explicitly cited Grenada’s refusal to permit the radar station as evidence of its alignment with Soviet interests.
- Scholarly works, such as Anthony Payne et al., Grenada: Revolution and Invasion (1984), which detail the failed negotiations over the radar site and the subsequent arrangement with Trinidad and Tobago.
- Declassified U.S. government documents, including diplomatic correspondence, which confirm that Trinidad and Tobago’s agreement to host the radar facility was pursued and secured in direct response to Grenada’s unwillingness to do so.
Thus, while negotiations with Trinidad and Tobago began independently and prior to Grenada’s definitive refusal, the operational decision to locate the sole regional radar station in Trinidad and Tobago was a direct consequence of Grenada’s rejection of the proposal. The radar station in Trinidad and Tobago effectively served the strategic purpose originally envisioned for Grenada, confirming that the United States established this facility in an alternative location after Grenada declined to host it.
The U.S. military tracking station is in Chaguaramas Trinidad. There is a reference to the TnT radar station in this episode of The Enforcer:
