U.S. Develops New Military Options in Venezuela

Date: 16 April 2019 - 21:22

News ID: ۶۴۹۳۶

WASHINGTON (Dispatches) -- The Pentagon is developing new military options for Venezuela aimed at deterring alleged Russian, Cuban and Chinese influence inside the country, but stopping short of any kinetic military actions, according to a defense official familiar with the effort cited by CNN.
The options are being ordered following a White House meeting last week where national security adviser John Bolton told acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to develop ideas on the Venezuela crisis.
The official emphasized strongly that the initial work is being done by the Pentagon's Joint Staff, which conducts planning for future military operations along with the Southern Command, which oversees any U.S. military involvement in the southern hemisphere.
And even though Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently said that "all options" remain on the table for dealing with Venezuela, several Pentagon officials continue to say there is no appetite at the Department of Defense for using U.S. military force against the country.
While President Donald Trump has called for President Nicolas Maduro to leave and has said the Russians have to get out of Venezuela, there is no indication he wants to commit U.S. troops to a major military action there.
Instead, military options could include U.S. naval exercises in the immediate region and more military interaction with neighboring countries. U.S. leaders believe the idea would be to challenge any Russian, Cuban or Chinese notion that they could have unchallenged access to the region.
The preliminary planning work being done will at some point be forwarded to Shanahan, who in turn will then present ideas to the White House, the official said.
The U.S. called for Maduro to step down in February, when National Assembly President Juan Guaido declared himself interim president. Since then, tensions have climbed as senior U.S. officials have repeated their calls for the military to abandon Maduro, while Maduro has blamed the U.S. for Venezuela's troubles.
During a speech commemorating the 17th anniversary of the failed coup against the late Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez on Saturday, Maduro called on all Venezuelans who want to get in involved and defend their homeland to enlist and train with the military to reach the "new goal of 3 million members."
Maduro reminded the crowd that last year he set the goal of 2 million military members and said "we have accomplished our mission," calling for the additional one million members to join and "defend our territory and borders."
Maduro said he will have a total of 3 million or more military troops by December of 2019.
Pompeo, speaking in Paraguay on April 13, reiterated that all options remain on the table for Venezuela. "We keep all options on the table because it's very important, in that we don't know how things will proceed," he said.
The top U.S. diplomat, on a three-day tour of Chile, Paraguay and Peru, did not directly answer questions about whether the U.S. has a strategy to deal with Maduro should he retain the military power necessary to stay in office, but insisted that any decision will be up to the Venezuelan people.
"The strategy is not just an American strategy. It's the Venezuelan people's strategy," he said during an interview Saturday with Voice of America Spanish.
And he also rapped Beijing, another Maduro supporter, doing business in Latin America.
"China's bankrolling of the Maduro regime helped precipitate and prolong the crisis in that country. China invested over $60 billion -- $60 billion -- with no strings attached," claimed.
China's foreign ministry spokesman Lu Kang said at a press briefing Monday that Pompeo "has wantonly slandered and deliberately provoked China-Latin America relations. It is irresponsible and utterly unjustifiable. We strongly oppose this."
"It should be pointed out that for some time, some U.S. politicians have been carrying the same version, the same script of slandering China all over the world, and fanning the flames and sowing discord everywhere. The words and deeds are despicable. But lies are lies, even if you say it a thousand times, they are still lies. Mr. Pompeo, you can stop," he added.
Russia also waded into the debate by saying that the U.S. was "openly meddling in the internal affairs of sovereign countries”.
"Venezuela is on everyone’s lips. Their regime-change blitz has failed,” Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said. "But the Americans are not giving up their aim to topple the legitimate president."
Iran said U.S. President Donald Trump was attempting to turn Latin American into "its own backyard, as it was in the 19th century”.
Meanwhile, Venezuelan authorities accused the United States, Brazil and Colombia of preparing for a military intervention into the Bolivarian Republic.
"The international community and its institutions for protecting legitimacy around the world should know that a criminal plan is in the works to stage a military attack on Venezuela," Vice President Delcy Rodriguez said on Monday.
"U.S., Brazilian and Colombian officials intend to ignore the will of the Venezuelan people and launch a military intervention," Rodriguez added.
The Lima Group regional bloc on Monday called for the exit of foreign security and intelligence forces from Venezuela and reiterated its rejection of the use of military force in the crisis-stricken South American nation.