"The strikes come amid a major U.S. military buildup in the region, most recently bolstered by Secretary of War Pete Hegseth's order last week for the USS Gerald Ford aircraft carrier and its escorts to deploy from the Mediterranean to Latin America. President Trump says he is also considering military action against land targets in Venezuela, a sentiment echoed recently by Republican Senator Lindsey Graham."
"So he understands very well that if push comes to shove, if there's some type of military action vis-a-vis Venezuela, Russia, China, Cuba, even Iran is not going to come to his assistance. He's going to be out on his own and he's going to be very outgunned and outmatched by the U.S. military. [He has a] decrepit air force and a decrepit army. He also claims to have rallied 4 million militia members that are undergoing training to help defend Venezuela."
U.S. strikes occurred amid a major regional military buildup, including redeployment of the USS Gerald Ford and escorts to Latin America. President Trump has signaled consideration of land-based military action in Venezuela and publicly authorized CIA covert operations in the country. Part of the counternarcotics campaign aims to pressure Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro to step down. Diplomatic ties with Maduro's government have been suspended and the U.S. has accused Maduro of involvement in drug trafficking. Maduro condemned U.S. military activity as fabrication and vowed to defend national sovereignty despite limited military capacity.
Read at The Cipher Brief
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