Highlights:
”The people are ready for combat, ready for battle,” Maduro told a crowd of supporters earlier this week. “Venezuela will not be humiliated. Venezuela will bow to no one. Venezuela will continue on its path of peace, harmony, and stability.”
Experts say the U.S. buildup isn’t enough to support an invasion of Venezuela, but would be sufficient to support sustained strikes on boats allegedly carrying drugs to the U.S. or to even bomb targets on Venezuela’s soil, as President Trump has warned.
The U.S. has moved advanced weaponry into the Caribbean and in the skies north of Venezuela, including eight Navy warships, an attack submarine, F-35B jet fighters, P-8 Poseidon spy planes and MQ-9 Reaper drones.
The Pentagon has deployed elite special operations forces, including the Army’s secretive 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, the “Night Stalkers,” a U.S. official said.
Raise your hands if you want to be a slave to the gringos,” Maduro said. “If you want peace, get ready to earn peace.” The government also counts on Colombian armed groups that have long been permitted to operate in Venezuela, including the battle-hardened ELN.
Venezuela is hardly ready for any American action. An economy that had been showing tiny signs of life not long ago is in a free fall, predicted to contract 3% in 2026 with inflation to hit 682%, said the International Monetary Fund.
Its military is in shambles, former high-ranking army officers and other experts say. Experienced officers were forced into exile or fired to ensure that only Maduro loyalists remained. Ordinary soldiers are poorly fed, and there is little in the way of logistics to provide the provisions for deployed units
”We have to say thanks to the U.S. for formally telling us that the CIA is going to start operations,” Cabello said on his TV show. “Wow, first time.”
On the streets of Venezuela, meanwhile, some hope that the American threats and show of military force just might lead Maduro to abdicate or for others in his inner circle to unseat him from power.
“I have been watching this situation with the USA for two months and nothing has happened,” said Milagros Campos, 46. “I would like the economy to get better and think it’s important for a change in government for that to happen.”
Posted by the-senat
7 Comments
Well, apparently I picked an interesting time to join the armed forces
No new wars?
The military commander overseeing US attacks on Venezuela is [stepping down](https://www.nytimes.com/2025/10/16/us/politics/southern-command-head-stepping-down.html). He may be replaced with someone who is willing to ramp up attacks against Venezuela.
Effective political opposition always requires an institutional basis. The more people replaced by mindless loyalists, the more likely it is that we ramp up conflict.
!ping extremism
Why are we doing this? Who wants this? Surely our populist government can’t really think the American people want to drawn into a war that they provoked.
I think it’s unlikely a full ground invasion happens, there aren’t enough troops positioned for it but I think it’s highly likely we’ll escalate to air strikes and special forces raids.
Do you know what we should be doing instead of threatening to start a new war?
Literally anything else.
>article says the buildup is not enough for an invasion
That’s pretty obvious. Likely 80s style air strikes.