Venezuela has deployed military units and begun amassing weapons and equipment in response to the Trump administration’s mobilization of US warships in the Caribbean.
The build-up, which the government has called “protracted resistance,” involves small military units in more than 280 locations carrying out acts of sabotage and other guerrilla tactics, according to sources and several years-old planning documents for the tactics seen by Reuters.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has accused the Trump administration of trying to remove him from power. He has pledged that Venezuelan citizens will defend the South American nation against US aggression.
US NAVY DESTROYER ARRIVES IN TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO AS TRUMP TURNS SCREWS ON VENEZUELA
The aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford arrived in the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility as President Donald Trump steps up his war on drugs. In response, Venezuela is mobilizing its armed forces. (Anna Moneymaker/Getty Images; Alyssa Joy/Navy)
Meanwhile, the government has ordered a series of deadly attacks on suspected drug ships in the Caribbean in an effort to curb the flow of illegal narcotics into the United States. President Donald Trump has raised the possibility of ground operations in Venezuela, saying “the country will be next.”
On Tuesday, the US Navy said the USS Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group had entered the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility as part of a US presence to support the growing naval build-up in the region.
“The increased U.S. military presence in the USSOUTHCOM AOR will strengthen the U.S. ability to detect, monitor and disrupt illicit actors and activities that endanger the security and prosperity of the United States homeland and our security in the Western Hemisphere,” said Chief Pentagon Spokesperson Sean Parnell. “These forces will enhance and expand existing capabilities to disrupt drug trafficking and degrade and dismantle transnational criminal organizations.”
US MILITARY BUILD-UP IN THE CARIBBEAN SEES BOMMERERS, MARINES AND WAR BOXES TOGETHER NEAR VENEZUELA
The Trump administration ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford to the US Southern Command, prompting Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to accuse Trump of “inventing a new forever war.” (Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images; Getty Images)
Aside from the significant differences in resources between the U.S. and Venezuelan militaries, some Venezuelan unit commanders have even been forced to negotiate with local food producers to feed their troops as government supplies fall short, Reuters reported.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, Venezuelan Vice President Tareck El Aissami and Cilia Flores take part in a military exercise at the Fuerte Tiuna military base in Caracas on February 24, 2018. (Reuters)
According to reports, part of Venezuela’s defense strategy involves a guerrilla-style response.
“In a conventional war we wouldn’t last two hours,” a source close to the government told the news channel.
Russia’s Foreign Ministry said last week it was ready to respond to Venezuela’s requests for help as it urged an escalation of tensions.
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