US plans to prevent Russian and Chinese influence in Venezuela
The US could conduct naval exercises near Venezuela and strengthen military ties with the region to prevent the influence of Russia and China.
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US Marines during a landing exercise in 2017. Photo:US Marine Corps. |
The Pentagon is developing new military options to deter Russian, Chinese and Cuban influence in Venezuela, but will not take any direct military action in the South American country, a US defense official said.
The options were drawn up after a meeting at the White House last week, where National Security Adviser John Bolton asked acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan to come up with new ideas to address the crisis in Venezuela.
The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, stressed that the Pentagon’s Joint Chiefs of Staff had already begun work on planning for future military operations for Southern Command, which would be in charge of any US military operations in the southern hemisphere. The completed work would be passed on to Shanahan for reporting to the White House.
Although US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo recently stated that "all options" to deal with the Venezuelan crisis are still on the table, some Pentagon officials said the US Department of Defense is not interested in using force to overthrow Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro.
President Donald Trump has also called on Maduro to step down and said Russia needs to withdraw its forces from Venezuela, but there has been no indication that he wants to deploy US troops in a major military operation in the country.
Instead, the Pentagon could use deterrent measures such as conducting humanitarian naval exercises in waters near Venezuela and increasing military interactions with countries around Venezuela. The idea is to challenge the belief of Russia, China and Cuba that they can freely exert influence in South America, a region that is considered the US's "backyard".
Venezuela’s political crisis escalated after opposition leader Juan Guaido declared himself interim president in late January, directly challenging Maduro’s authority. Trump quickly recognized Guaido and has threatened to use force to overthrow Maduro, but so far there has been no sign of troops being sent near Venezuela.
President Maduro remains in power thanks to the support of the Venezuelan military and countries such as Russia, China and Cuba. Last month, the Russian military sent about 100 soldiers to Venezuela to help repair its equipment, and announced that it would maintain its presence in Caracas as long as "necessary".