Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez on Tuesday issued a statement stating that the country’s military alert levels had been raised amid concerns about an imminent US attack on the country.
According to Lopez, Venezuela will implement a “higher phase” of the military response mechanism that he ordered in September, Spanish media reported. Country I mentioned.
This measure will enter into force between Tuesday and Wednesday and includes “putting the country’s entire military arsenal into a state of full operational readiness,” as well as the massive deployment of “land, air, sea, river and missile assets; weapons systems; military units; the Bolivarian militia; citizen security services; and comprehensive defense commands.”
Venezuelan weapons versus the American arsenal
According to A Reuters The report notes that Venezuela is deploying weapons, including decades-old Russian-made equipment, and is planning to wage guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a US air or ground attack.
Venezuela bought about 20 Sukhoi fighter jets from the Russian company in the 2000s, but they are “nothing next to American B-2s,” the source familiar with defense and security affairs said, adding that Venezuela’s Russian-made helicopters, tanks and shoulder-fired missiles, capable of destroying low-flying aircraft, are also becoming obsolete.
One source said that 5,000 Russian-made Igla missiles have already been deployed in Venezuela, and military orders are that upon receiving “the first strike from the gringo, all units must disperse or go with their weapons to retreat or hide in different locations.”
The poorly trained and equipped Venezuelan army is no match for the United States, which would bring in some of its most advanced weapons and well-trained personnel if a confrontation broke out.
Venezuela prepares for guerrilla-style resistance
Given the poor state of the Venezuelan army, the Maduro government is betting on two possible strategies – including a guerrilla-style response, and another that officials have not acknowledged. Reuters I mentioned.
The guerrilla-style defense, which the government has called “protracted resistance” and mentioned in programs broadcast on state television, will involve small military units in more than 280 locations carrying out sabotage and other guerrilla tactics.
A source familiar with the defense efforts and another source close to the opposition told Reuters that the second strategy, called “chaos,” would use intelligence services and armed ruling party supporters to create chaos in the streets of the capital, Caracas, and make Venezuela ungovernable for foreign forces.
It is not clear when the government might use all of these methods, which sources said were complementary, in the event of a US attack.
The sources admitted that any resistance strategy faces long odds of success.
A source close to the government said: “We will not last two hours in a conventional war.”
Another source familiar with defense and security affairs inside Venezuela said the country was not “prepared or professional for conflict,” despite government assertions to the contrary. The source said: “We are not ready to confront one of the world’s strongest and best-trained armies.”
Maduro said there are eight million civilians training in militias to defend Venezuela, and some civilians have told Reuters in recent months that they are ready and willing to die defending their homeland against any foreign power.
USS Gerald R. Ford advances to Latin America
Meanwhile, US officials told Reuters on Tuesday that the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved to the Latin American region. President Donald Trump ordered Ford’s deployment last month, in addition to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine, and F-35 jets already in the Caribbean.
The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the newest aircraft carrier in the United States and the largest in the world, with more than 5,000 sailors on board.
(Tags for translation) Military Alert in Venezuela
