The U.S. military has positioned major naval and air assets in the southern Caribbean as officials and anonymous sources say the administration has prepared plans that could include airstrikes against targets inside Venezuela, according to the Miami Herald, as reported by the Herald’s defense correspondents.
The build-up includes the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford and its strike group now operating in Caribbean waters. The Herald also reports that F-35 fighter aircraft and MQ-9 Reaper drones are stationed in Puerto Rico as part of the force posture. U.S. sources describe the mission as primarily focused on disrupting drug-trafficking networks linked to Venezuelan military and regime actors.
The Herald further reports that a potential next phase of operations could involve strikes on fixed or mobile sites allegedly tied to narcotics networks, with the intent of degrading leadership and logistics. U.S. authorities have long accused Venezuelan officials, including President Nicolás Maduro, of involvement in large-scale cocaine trafficking and recently increased rewards for information leading to arrests.
Defense experts think that the current force posture is good for stopping ships and making small, precise strikes, but it isn’t set up for a large-scale ground assault. One analysis that was mentioned in recent news said that there aren’t enough troops on the ground for a big occupation.
The Pentagon has not confirmed any intentions for strikes or target lists in public. Officials keep talking about marine interdiction and counternarcotics operations that are still going on, and they are also keeping the region on high alert.
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