Russia Threatens to Send Venezuela Missiles That Can Reach DC
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced Wednesday that another drug cartel boat had been destroyed.
Today, at the direction of President Trump, the Department of War carried out a lethal kinetic strike on a vessel operated by a Designated Terrorist Organization (DTO).
Intelligence confirmed that the vessel was involved in illicit narcotics smuggling, transiting along a known narco-trafficking route, and carrying narcotics. The strike was conducted in international waters in the Eastern Pacific.
No U.S. forces were harmed in the strike, and two male narco-terrorists — who were aboard the vessel — were killed.
We will find and terminate EVERY vessel with the intention of trafficking drugs to America to poison our citizens. Protecting the homeland is our TOP priority. NO cartel terrorist stands a chance against the American military.
This is the 16th strike since attacks began on September 1; see Shots Fired! The US Military Sinks a Venezuelan Drug Runner (Updated). Sixteen boats and one submersible have been destroyed. At least 66 people have been killed. Seven of the strikes and eight of the boats have been destroyed in the Eastern Pacific. Along the way, all the yammering about violating the War Powers Resolution stopped (see Oh, No. The War Powers Posse Comes After President Trump Over His Attacks on Drug Cartels), perhaps because people finally figured out that no one really cares if drug runners get whacked.
While drug runners are getting clipped at the pace of nearly two a week, a lot of other stuff is happening.
Russian Ballistic Missiles to Venezuela?
According to the Telegraph, the Kremlin is considering sending the hypersonic (at least according to Russian press releases) Oreshnik intermediate-range ballistic missile to Venezuela.
Alexei Zhuravlyov, the deputy chairman of Russia’s parliamentary defence committee, warned that “the Americans may be in for some surprises” as he opened the door to a weapons transfer to Venezuela.
“I see no obstacles to supplying a friendly country with new developments such as the Oreshnik or, let’s say, the well-proven Kalibr missiles,” Mr Zhuravlyov told the Russian news website Gazeta.Ru.
The Oreshnik missile, translating as “hazel tree”, is capable of striking any target across the European continent in under an hour if launched from Russia or Belarus, according to Moscow.
By definition, an IRBM has a range of 1,800 to 3,400 miles. At the minimum distance, a missile fired from Caracas could hit New York City. If it can hit the maximum range, then Los Angeles would be at risk. Again, it is unclear who would use the missile, if not Russians, and moving this missile to Venezuela would definitely make the administration move to take that missile out.
Russian Air Defense Missiles Arrive
As I pointed out a few days ago, Russia is flowing weapons into Venezuela and making no secret of it. Venezuela and Russia have renewed their "strategic partnership," which, allegedly, "strengthens bilateral cooperation in political and economic spheres, including energy, mineral extraction, transport, and communications, as well as in security, counterterrorism, and counter-extremism." It is rumored that Russia has sent elements of the Wagner Group PMC to Venezuela. One has to view both of those as moves as propaganda efforts to 1) discourage U.S. direct action against Maduro, and 2) convince other client states that it will defend them; see Russia Flexes in Venezuela, but Does It Really Matter? However, it is clear that Russian aid has gone beyond the ephemeral to the lethal.
“Russian Pantsir-S1 and Buk-M2E systems were just recently delivered to Caracas by Il-76 transport aircraft,” Alexei Zhuravlev, First Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Defense Committee, told Gazeta.Ru earlier this week.
Only one Il-76 flight from Russia to Caracas has been reported. That would limit the number of anti-aircraft systems to a maximum of two, total. That is a symbolic contribution that is greatly outmatched by the forces it would be defending against. Venezuela probably has about 16 existing S-300 systems and perhaps 44 of the nearly prehistoric SA-3 systems. There is no open source documentation on the state of repair of those systems or the training status of their crews. Likewise, we don't know if Venezuelans have been trained on the Buk or Pantsir units or if Russians operate them.
U.S. Surges on Infrastructure Improvement
Massive improvements are underway at U.S. facilities in Puerto Rico.
GPS Jamming
Intense GPS jamming has been reported in coastal Venezuela since October 29. It has disrupted air and maritime navigation. The source hasn't been identified.
Sky News points the finger at the U.S., and I'm inclined to agree.
Carrier Strike Group 12 takes its good old time
A week and a half ago, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth ordered Carrier Strike Group 12 from the Mediterranean to the Caribbean. Instead of arriving on station around Saturday, the strike group led by the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford only cleared Gibraltar on Tuesday. I'm assuming there is a purpose for this slow walking.
Friend in Need
The Prime Minister of Trinidad and Tobago, an island nation located only seven miles off the Venezuelan coast, has thrown her lot in with the U.S. Her motive appears to be enlightened self-interest. If Maduro is ousted and a friendlier government is installed, Trinidad and Tobago will be much better off. Her name, oddly enough, is Kamla Persad-Bissessar, and she is Indian.
As I've said before, I don't see how President Trump can back off or back down after assembling this military force. If he leaves with Maduro still in place, then his credibility will be shot at home and abroad. Russia's open support of Venezuela and talk about moving Russian missiles into Venezuela will become, at the hands of the Russian propagandists of America's "woke right," proof that Trump is afraid of Russian might. A U.S. retreat will be a green light for Maduro to settle scores with Trinidad and Tobago and actively push into the contested border region it has with Guyana.
In an earlier post, I laid out how Venezuela is a linchpin if Trump wishes to dominate the Western Hemisphere; see Trump's Campaign Against Venezuela Is Jumpstarting the Monroe Doctrine. Trump preparing to take the fight to the Mexican cartels (US Plans Covert Action Against Cartels in Mexico As the Government Seems Timid and Inept in Fighting Them) can't happen if he allows Maduro to walk away the victor.
While the improvements in Puerto Rico might be unrelated to events, it doesn't seem that way. The GPS jamming and the B-1B and B-52 flights toward Venezuela all seem to be testing Venezuela's early warning system, mapping their anti-aircraft radars, and determining how much power is needed to jam GPS and stop a response by the Venezuelan air force.
I don't believe the Ford's slow progress is the result of dallying in the Mediterranean. I think when it arrives on station, we will be entering the last phase of the operation.
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