WASHINGTON — The U.S. Federal Aviation Administration has issued a notification to pilots to exercise extreme caution because of a “worsening security situation and heightened military activity” around Venezuela, as President Donald Trump ramps up pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.

U.S. military aircraft have been operating without transponders in the Caribbean and there have been increased reports from air traffic controllers in the region of unidentified aircraft, including a near-miss collision between a commercial jetliner and a U.S. refueling jet.

On Wednesday, the government of Curacao, which is located about 40 miles from the coast of Venezuela, issued a statement saying it had been assured “that U.S. military aircraft would turn on their transponder in our airspace to ensure that they are visible to local air authorities.”

The FAA and Curacao statements follow a warning from a JetBlue Airlines pilot leaving Curacao on a near miss with a U.S. Air Force refueling tanker earlier this month, according to the Associated Press. The tanker was not using its location transponder and was undetected by air traffic control, the report said.

“We almost had a midair collision up here,” the JetBlue pilot told air traffic control, adding that the military jet passed “directly in our flight path,” according to the AP. “They don’t have their transponder turned on, it’s outrageous.”

The U.S. has contacted several airlines and cruise companies to inform them of the developments and safety measures being taken, the Curacao statement says. Pilots for American Airlines and Delta Airlines also reported being alerted to other planes flying in the vicinity without transponders on, The New York Times reported.

The U.S. military has been sending more aircraft and other naval vessels, including an aircraft carrier strike group, to the Caribbean as part of a buildup aimed at combating drug cartels and to pressure the Maduro regime in Venezuela. Trump also called for a blockade of sanctioned oil tankers off the coast of Venezuela.

Airlines and pilots also were warned by the Curacao Civil Aviation Authority in November to operate with extreme caution when flying in its airspace.

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