Venezuela announces 'massive' military deployment to counter US presence in Caribbean

Venezuela has announced what it called a major, nationwide military deployment to counter the US naval presence off its coast.

The country's defence ministry issued a statement on Tuesday announcing a "massive deployment" of land, sea, air, river and missile forces as well as civilian militia.

VTV, the state TV channel, broadcast footage of military leaders giving speeches in several states.

Washington is carrying out a military campaign in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, deploying naval and air forces it claims are aimed at curbing drug trafficking.

But the operation has sparked fears in Caracas that the ouster of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro is the ultimate US goal.

Washington's forces have carried out strikes on at least 20 vessels in international waters since early September, killing at least 76 people, according to US figures.

But the United States has yet to release evidence that the vessels were used to smuggle drugs or posed a threat to the country.

Last week US President Donald Trump played down the prospect of going to war with Venezuela but he said Maduro's days were numbered.

The United States has also ordered the USS Gerald R. Ford carrier strike group to Latin America, deployed F-35 stealth warplanes to Puerto Rico and currently has six US Navy ships in the Caribbean, as part of what it calls counter-narcotics efforts.

Venezuela military preparing guerrilla response?

Venezuela is deploying weapons – including decades-old Russian-made equipment – and is planning to mount a guerrilla-style resistance or sow chaos in the event of a US air or ground attack, according to sources with knowledge of the efforts and planning documents seen by Reuters news agency.

The US military dwarfs Venezuela's, which is debilitated by a lack of training, low wages and deteriorating equipment, six sources familiar with Venezuela's military capabilities said.

Some unit commanders have even been forced to negotiate with local food producers to feed their troops because government supplies fall short, two sources with knowledge of state security forces told Reuters.

That reality has led Maduro's government to bet on two potential strategies — including a guerrilla-style response referenced publicly, though without details, by high-ranking officials, and another which officials have not acknowledged.

The guerrilla-style defence, which the government has termed "prolonged resistance" and mentioned in broadcasts on state television, would involve small military units at more than 280 locations carrying out acts of sabotage and other guerrilla tactics, according to the sources and several years old planning documents for the tactic seen by Reuters.

The second strategy, called "anarchisation," would use the intelligence services and armed ruling-party supporters to create disorder on the streets of capital Caracas and make Venezuela ungovernable for foreign forces, said one source with knowledge of defense efforts and another source close to the opposition.

It was unclear when the government might deploy each of the tactics, which sources said are complementary, in case of US attack.

Government officials publicly have been dismissive of a US military threat.

"They think that with a bombing they'll end everything. Here in this country?" scoffed Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello on state television in early November, while Maduro has repeatedly praised the "soldiers of the homeland" as heirs of independence hero Simon Bolivar.

Maduro has enjoyed strong military loyalty by following the strategy of his predecessor Hugo Chavez, who placed officers in government roles as ministers or heads of state-run companies to ensure allegiance.

Maduro has said there are 8 million civilians training in militias to defend Venezuela, and some civilians have told Reuters in recent months that they are ready and willing to die to defend their homeland against a foreign force.

Meanwhile, there are some 60,000 members of the Army and National Guard that the government would deploy for its guerrilla-style "war of resistance," the source told Reuters.