ახალი ამბები

შესავალი ერთ აბზაცსი, რომელიც აღწერს გამოცოცხლებას კარიბის, პუერტო რიკოს, ტრინიდადის და southern command-ის

Venezuela’s brutal authoritarian regime has been the scourge of the Americas for more than a decade. Backed by Russia, China and Iran, President Nicolás Maduro has steadily tightened his grip, triggering economic collapse and the exodus of around 8mn migrants. It is a tragedy without modern parallel in the western hemisphere.

Since returning to office in January, Donald Trump has vowed to smash the drug gangs and traffickers. Curbing the trade was previously a matter of law-enforcement. Now Mr Trump is throwing the armed forces at it, and riding roughshod over the law. “The cartels are waging war in America,” the president told Congress in March. “And it’s time for America to wage war on the cartels.”

An assessment published in March by America’s 18 intelligence agencies elevated the threat of drug gangs over that of jihadists. 

Reports suggest that the Pentagon’s forthcoming National Defence Strategy may prioritise “homeland defence” missions like counter-narcotics, above threats like China. “The government is finally using all the tools of national power to go after our greatest threat,” says Derek Maltz, who led the Drug Enforcement Administration from January to May. “The handcuffs are off.”

more than 80,000 of its citizens died of overdoses last year. Polls show that about half of Americans would support military action against the gangs in Mexico

The consumption of illicit drugs—particularly cocaine and synthetic opioids like fentanyl, often in combination—kills roughly 600,000 people every year.

 

On the first day of his new term, Mr Trump signed an executive order branding the drug gangs as “foreign terrorist organisations” (FTOs) and called for their “total elimination”. 

On October 10th the New York Times reported Mr Maduro had tried to appeal to Mr Trump’s transactional instincts by offering the American government a large stake in Venezuela’s oil and other mineral wealth, in return for good relations. The approach seemed to fail, with Mr Trump ordering his special envoy for Venezuela, Richard Grenell, to break off all contact with Caracas.

Mr Maduro, on his occasional outings, surrounds himself with civilians, perhaps hoping that will deter a drone strike.

"It's not just the CIA, it's all of our intelligence capabilities," said an insider involved in discussions about the operation." The U.S. knows where Maduro is, where he stays, where he goes. If we wanted to kill him with a missile, we could have done it by now."

With about 10,000 troops, the US task force is too small to attempt a full-scale invasion. The successful 1989 mission to topple the dictator Manuel Noriega in Panama, 12 times smaller than Venezuela, required over 27,000 men.

 

ხაზი გაუსვი იმაზე, რომ არ ვიცით, რა დაიწყება, როდის დაიწყება, მაგრამ ამხელა ძალის კონცენტრაცია და ხარჯები მეტყველებს რაღაც მომასწავებელზე, და რომ რაზეა ეს ძალები სპასობნი

The logistical cost of maintaining the navy’s flotilla in the Caribbean, which currently runs at about $7m per day, will only rise.

A show of military force may temporarily deter smugglers, but narcos will adapt

Unmanned submarines, tunnels and others

October 15 – Trump announced that he had authorized “covert” cia action.

The scene: The Trump administration has deployed an unprecedented number of warships, spy planes, fighter jets, bombers, drones, and U.S. Marines off the coast of Venezuela.

More than 10% of all deployed American naval assets are currently in the area controlled by the Pentagon’s Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which oversees operations in Central and South America.

 

22 meu

7 dan erti The number of Marine Expeditionary Units (MEUs) deployed to the "Americas Navy force" (referring to the US Navy/Marine Corps presence in the Americas/Western Hemisphere, particularly the U.S. Southern Command area of responsibility)

A Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU, pronounced as one syllable "M'you" IPA: /mjuː/) is the smallest air-ground task force (MAGTF) in the United States Fleet Marine Force.[1] Each MEU is an expeditionary rapid reaction force ready to answer any crisis, whether it be disaster aid or a combat mission.[1] Marine Amphibious Unit (MAU) was the name used until the late 1980s.

 

A MEU normally is composed of

• a reinforced USMC infantry battalion (designated as a Battalion Landing Team) as the ground combat element
• a composite medium tiltrotor squadron forming the aviation combat element
• a combat logistics battalion providing the logistics combat element
• a company-size command element serving as the MEU headquarters group.

Troop strength of a MEU is about 2,200 (normal and peacetime) to 4,400 (mobilization and wartime). A MEU is usually commanded by a colonel, and is deployed from amphibious assault ships. Currently, a MEU embarks personnel and equipment on the amphibious warfare ships of an expeditionary strike group (ESG), which also includes escort warships and submarines to protect them from air, surface, and submarine threats. For further protection and strong air support, an ESG is often deployed along with one or more carrier strike groups.

  

The parallel involvement of the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit adds an amphibious and crisis-response dimension to the engagement. A MEU is the Marine Corps’ forward-deployed, rapid-response Marine Air-Ground Task Force, tailored to conduct a spectrum of missions, from humanitarian assistance and non-combatant evacuations to maritime interdiction and limited objective raids. The 22nd MEU’s recent integration exercises with Amphibious Squadron 8 indicate a unit trained to embark, deploy, and operate jointly with Navy platforms at short notice. In Trinidad and Tobago, such a unit can rehearse small-unit tactics, ship-to-shore coordination, and medical support procedures alongside TTDF counterparts, reinforcing combined readiness for scenarios that range from disaster response to maritime security incidents.

 

Geography elevates the significance of this deployment. Trinidad sits just across the Dragon’s Mouths channel from Venezuela, variously cited at roughly 11 to 15 kilometers at the narrowest points, placing U.S. and TTDF activities within immediate reach of Venezuelan littorals and the Gulf of Paria sea lines. In operational terms, that proximity compresses response times, enhances maritime domain awareness, and, if required, enables rapid transition from training to contingency support for search-and-rescue, counter-narcotics, or maritime law-enforcement operations that routinely intersect the broader southern Caribbean. It also increases the visibility of U.S. posture to Caracas, which will likely read these movements through the lens of regional security dynamics and cross-border illicit flows.

 

Gerard ford Carrier strike gourp 12

 USS Gerald Ford, the largest aircraft-carrier in the world

The USS Gerald R. Ford and its associated warships have multiple offensive and defensive capabilities, including surveillance capacity that could be critical to an expanding operation.

The Ford is the world’s largest aircraft carrier. It typically carries dozens of fighter jets, helicopters and more than 4,000 sailors.

 

During recent stops in Europe, the Ford was accompanied by the destroyers USS Mahan, USS Winston S. Churchill and USS Bainbridge, but it wasn’t clear if those vessels would travel with it to the Caribbean.

 

The Gerald R. Ford Carrier Strike Group brings unmatched firepower and flexibility to SOUTHCOM's area of responsibility. The USS Gerald R. Ford, the most technologically advanced aircraft carrier in the world, is designed to generate more air sorties, faster and more efficiently, than any previous carrier in the U.S. fleet. Its Electromagnetic Aircraft Launch System (EMALS) and Advanced Arresting Gear (AAG) increase operational tempo while reducing mechanical strain. Onboard, the ship embarks Carrier Air Wing missions that include F/A-18E/F Super Hornets for multirole strike operations, EA-18G Growlers for electronic warfare, E-2D Advanced Hawkeyes for command and control, and MH-60R/S Seahawks for anti-submarine and maritime strike operations. This diverse air wing allows the strike group to conduct precision engagement, maritime surveillance, aerial interdiction, and special operations support across a wide radius extending deep into South America.

 

In any case, the clock is ticking. The Ford is a “use-or-lose asset”, notes the CSIS, because the Pentagon will be reluctant to keep one of its most important warships in the Caribbean for long unless it is truly needed.

 

Iwo Jima amphibious ready group

 

The Navy and Marine Corps have deployed a task force off the coast of Venezuela. A forward presence for Naval operations, it’s staffed by more than 4,500 sailors and Marines. The group includes guided missiles destroyers, an attack submarine, a Special Operations ship and reconnaissance aircraft.

 

 

 

Special Operations

 

The Pentagon has also deployed the MV Ocean Trader, a civilian ship converted into a floating base for Special Operations. The ship can serve as both barracks and command center for Special Operations forces in the area.

The 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, an elite helicopter unit that supports the world’s most dangerous missions, is also deployed in the area. “Little Bird” helicopters typically used by this unit were identified operating less than 90 miles from the coast of Venezuela this month by a Washington Post visual analysis.

A U.S. official told The Post the helicopters were engaged in training exercises that could serve as preparation for expanded conflict, including the possibility of missions inside Venezuela.

 

Troops

There were an estimated 10,000 U.S. sailors and Marines in the Caribbean, based on the ships announced or acknowledged by the Pentagon. The figure doesn’t include personnel in Puerto Rico, which probably make the total significantly higher.

Additional aircraft, including MQ-9 reaper drones and F-35 fighter jets, have been spotted at U.S. bases in Puerto Rico, according to images and reporting published by Reuters.

Destroyers

 

Complementing the carrier are the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge, and USS Winston S. Churchill, each equipped with the Aegis Combat System and dozens of vertical launch cells capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, Standard Missiles for air defense, and anti-submarine torpedoes. These destroyers form a defensive screen around the carrier while also providing long-range offensive capabilities. Together, the carrier and destroyers create a layered, networked, and fully integrated force package capable of operating autonomously or in coordination with joint U.S. and allied elements.

Complementing the carrier are the Arleigh Burke-class destroyers USS Mahan, USS Bainbridge, and USS Winston S. Churchill, each equipped with the Aegis Combat System and dozens of vertical launch cells capable of firing Tomahawk cruise missiles, Standard Missiles for air defense, and anti-submarine torpedoes. These destroyers form a defensive screen around the carrier while also providing long-range offensive capabilities. Together, the carrier and destroyers create a layered, networked, and fully integrated force package capable of operating autonomously or in coordination with joint U.S. and allied elements.