The U.S. moved large numbers of special-operations aircraft, troops and equipment into the Caribbean area this week, giving Washington “additional options” for “possible military action” in Venezuela, according to U.S. officials and open source flight-tracking data.
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President Trump has ramped up pressure on Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro in recent days, ordering a blockade of oil tankers going in and out of the country. Trump has declared that the
airspace around Venezuela should be considered closed and has refused to rule out airstrikes on the country, etc…
“We have a massive armada formed, the biggest we’ve ever had, and by far the biggest we’ve ever had in South America,” he said Monday. Referring to the possibility of land strikes in Venezuela, he said: “Soon we will be starting the same program on land.”
“They are prepositioning forces to take action,” said David Deptula, a retired Air Force lieutenant general and dean of the Mitchell Institute for Aerospace Studies, an aerospace think tank. The movement of such assets indicates that the administration already has decided on a course of action. “The question that remains is to accomplish what?” he said.
A spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command, which is responsible for the U.S. military in Latin America, declined to answer questions about specific troop movements. “It is standard practice to routinely rotate equipment and personnel to any military installation,” said the spokesperson. “And as a standard practice, due to operational security concerns, we do not disclose details or comment on U.S. assets or personnel operational movements and activities, nor disclose details of specific operations or routes.”
Feliz Navidad!
Deployment is latest by Trump administration to ratchet up pressure on Maduro regime in Venezuela
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