The countdown has begun. The Venezuelan government announced the mass mobilization of military forces, weapons, and equipment, in response to the concentration of American warships and troops in the Caribbean Sea. According to Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López, land, sea, and air forces, as well as reserves, will participate in military exercises. He characterized the mobilization as a response to the "imperialist threat" that, as he said, the United States' presence in the region represents. The exercises also include the Bolivarian Militia, the citizen reserve force created by the late President Hugo Chávez, inspired by the revolutionary Simón Bolívar, who led multiple Latin American countries to independence from Spain.
The arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford
The tension is escalating as the US Navy announced that the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford – the largest US warship – has entered the area of operations of the US Southern Command, which includes most of Latin America. US Defense Secretary. Latin America had ordered the ship to move to the Caribbean at the end of October, coming from Europe.
The full "strike group" accompanying the Ford includes:
-
9 aircraft squadrons,
-
the destroyers USS Bainbridge and USS Mahan,
-
the air and missile defense command ship USS Winston S. Churchill,
-
over 4,000 sailors.
The US maintains that this deployment aims to combat drug trafficking and interrupt the flow of substances into the United States. However, Caracas considers it a cover for pressure aimed at regime change.
Accusations of a "plan for overthrow"
The government of Nicolás Maduro denounces that Washington is seeking the country's destabilization. Some officials in the Trump administration have reportedly admitted privately that the US strategy aims at removing Maduro from power. Last month, Donald Trump stated that he approved CIA operations in Venezuela, and in the past, he had left open the possibility of military strikes—something that American officials later denied was in current plans.
The "Independence Plan 200"
In his official statement, Padrino López mentioned that the mobilization is part of the "Independence Plan 200," a strategic plan for political-military cooperation aimed at the country's defense through coordination of the regular forces, the militia, and the police. Venezuela's Bolivarian National Armed Forces number about 123,000 active members, while Maduro claims that his volunteer militias have over 8 million reservists—a number that is, however, disputed by analysts regarding their reliability and training.
Mass concentration of American forces in the Caribbean
With the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, it is estimated that approximately 15,000 American military personnel are now deployed in the region. Many naval forces had already been deployed there, including the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group and the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit, which together total over 4,500 marines and sailors, three destroyers, one submarine, one special operations ship, one guided-missile cruiser, and P-8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft.
At the same time, the US has deployed 10 F-35 fighters and at least three MQ-9 Reaper drones in Puerto Rico, which now serves as a military hub for operations in the Caribbean. Approximately 5,000 American soldiers are also located there. American bombers have conducted multiple exercises near the coast of Venezuela, including a "bombing demonstration" at the end of October.
A dangerous power game
This latest development intensifies concerns about the escalation of tension between Washington and Caracas, as well as a potential new wave of military provocations in the Caribbean, in a region already tested by political instability and energy pressures.
Foreign Policy: Trump revives the Caribbean Doctrine - After Venezuela, it's Cuba's turn
The government of Donald Trump seems to imply that the change of the political regime in Cuba is the second strategic goal of Washington, following the overthrow of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela. This scenario is presented in an article in Foreign Policy magazine by William Leogrande, a professor of public administration at American University, a specialist in Latin American affairs, and former director of the National Security Archive at George Washington University.
"The US is building military pressure on Cuba too"
According to Leogrande, the reinforcement of the US military presence in the Caribbean region is not aimed exclusively at Venezuela. "By increasing military pressure against Venezuela, the United States also has its eye on Cuba," the analyst states. Washington, according to him, expects that the interruption of oil supplies from Venezuela to Cuba will cause economic suffocation and eventually the collapse of the socialist regime in the island nation. Leogrande considers a military attack against Venezuela "inevitable," citing the deployment of ten warships and 10,000 American soldiers in the Caribbean Sea. "Everything indicates that the US is preparing for a large-scale operation," he distinctively notes. At the same time, retired Admiral Jim Stavridis estimates that the United States could attack Venezuela by targeting ports and airports, which Trump considers drug trafficking hubs. According to Stavridis, such an operation would have a dual purpose: to weaken the Maduro regime and to send a warning message to Havana.
Trump's "twin goal" in Latin America
Analysts point out that the Trump administration's strategy is not limited to one country but aims at the dismantling of the Caracas–Havana axis, which for decades has supported anti-American policy in Latin America. Cuba, isolated and without the support of Venezuela, could face a new wave of economic crisis and political pressure, signaling a possible return to the Cold War confrontation of the '60s and '70s.
www.bankingnews.gr
Σχόλια αναγνωστών