There is a strong US naval accumulation off the coast of Venezuela in the southern Caribbean. This includes three of the US naval impressive 10,000 tons of Arleigh Burke-class with missiles and a amphibious strike group focused on two huge 25,000 tonnes of San Antonio, carrying US sailors, helicopters and beach landing.
The destroyers have high -precision Tomahawk cruise missiles by 1,500 kilometers; Very sophisticated ability to collect air defense and intelligence; And two multipurpose helicopters. Large amphibious ships can move their “main battery” – a naval expedition unit of 2,500 marines – very quickly along the north coast of South America. A submarine of the attack on a nuclear fairy tale can also work in this area. In summary, more than 4,000 sailors and marines and at least half a dozen of the main warships operate thousands of kilometers from the US in the area with dense commercial transport, operating oil and gas platforms, fishing activities and cruise ships. Why does this high -performance commitment now occur?
The forces seemed to be introduced to carry out contra-sarotic operations, which is a good goal. It testifies to the reported destruction of the US Army on Tuesday that Foreign Minister Marco Rubio said, “He left Venezuela and was operated by a designated narco-terrorist organization.” However, most drug consignments to the US move across the Pacific coast across the western coast of Central America from sources in the Andean ridge. Many shipments go through the air, which the naval fleet would have little ability to guarantee without an aircraft carrier.
I know these missions against drugs intimately from my time as the leader of us Southern Command, a four -star combat command based in Doral, Florida near the International Airport in Miami. For more than three years, I spent most of my time studying comprehensive patterns of drug movements and begging the Pentagon to stop them. I learned that the defeat of drug runners is not about high-tech offensive weapons or massive warships and certainly not about marines or nuclear submarines. It’s about intelligence. The sea is huge and the number of patrol vessels is a small presence, is their radars and sonary. Think about patrolling a Texas state with half a dozen police cars and get an idea.
If the goal stops the flow of drugs, a better plan would be to increase the sources of news information available for Southern Command, including sophisticated satellites and capture mobile phones, using its very modern command center in Dorral as a data and intelligence fusion center. The US could also make better use of the joint between the aggressive working group-jih in Key West, the coalition of more than 20 national partners and American coercive and intelligence agencies. This can be the best way to assess intelligence and then put on the cutters of the coastline to capture. A large muscle naval fleet can contribute through the collection of intelligence; provide counter helicopters and small ships; And to provide physical and logistical support at sea to intermediate teams from the coastline, immigration and enforcement of customs offices and drug recovery administration.
However, large warships have another mission: send a very clear message to the dictator Venezuela, Nicholas Madura. Tomahawk missiles of destroyers or submarines cannot do much against drug runners, but can choose a critical infrastructure generating income generating income. American marines will not take off drug high -speed ships and la Miami Vice, but could be used against oil and gas platforms or Venezuelan military foundations along the coast. Submarines and destroyers can sink Venezuelan warships and shoot down a military plane. Maduro, who has a reward for $ 50 million and is deep into the narcotics store, is at the end of this signal.
When I was Minister of Foreign Affairs, I met Maduro during my time at Southern Command. I read his biography and was his early work as a bus driver and the head of the trade union. When I met him at a neutral place during the regional conference in South America, I was hit by a drive or cunning to replace his boss, charismatic and smart Hugo Chavez. I underestimated him.
This was in 2009. Today he not only consolidated complete control of Venezuela, but became a prominent thorn on the side of the US and many of his neighbors – especially Guyana, who regularly threatens to attack and closes us with Colombia.
The American deployment and support of support for him some of the Venezuel’s neighbors has triggered spare explosions from Madur, saying that “the empire has gone crazy” and promises to “defeat American imperialism”. The US should continue to increase its fight against trading with Narco, which provides the oxygen to the Venezuelan rotated regime and undermines the peace and prosperity of its neighbors. Some serious diplomacy of cannon boats that sends Maduro and the region a signal of both American abilities and intention is a useful attachment that serves.
Stavridis is the Dean of Emeritus Fletcher School of Law and diplomacy at Tufts University. It is on AON, Fortinet and Ankura Consulting Group.
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James Stavridis is a publicist Bloomberg, a state admiral of the US Navy in retirement, former Chief Commander of NATO Alliance and Vice -President of Global Affairs in the Carlyle Group.
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