Since August, Washington has deployed thousands of troops, warships and aircraft across the region, and reopened military bases in Puerto Rico and conducted drills, in what analysts describe as the largest US presence in Latin America in decades.In September, the US began a series of strikes on Venezuelan boats it claims were trafficking drugs to the US, with the latest attack on Friday killing six people on board. Last week, Trump announced that he had authorised covert CIA operations in Venezuela and that he was even mulling a land attack.
However, on Thursday, Trump denied that all this amounts to a declaration of war on Venezuela.
“Well, I don’t think we’re going to necessarily ask for a declaration of war,” he said.
“I think we’re just going to kill people that are bringing drugs into our country. OK? We’re going to kill them,” Trump said.
The US military has carried out at least ten deadly strikes on vessels off Venezuela’s coast, and in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean since September 2, marking the most intense American military activity in Latin America since the US invasion of Panama in 1989.
The operations, conducted under the authority of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), have killed at least 43 people, according to statements by Trump and senior defence officials.
The map below shows the approximate locations of at least six of these attacks, according to data compiled by the Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED). Most of these attacks occurred close to the Venezuelan coast and in international waters – raising questions about the legality of the US’s use of force, especially when no imminent threat was present.
US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), headquartered in Doral, Florida, is one of 11 unified combatant commands of the US Department of War (renamed by Trump from the Department of Defense). It oversees operations in Central and South America and the Caribbean, including the defence of the Panama Canal.
The other 10 commands cover different regions or functions such as North America (NORTHCOM), Europe (EUCOM), Africa (AFRICOM), the Middle East (CENTCOM), and the Indo-Pacific (INDOPACOM), while others have global responsibilities like cyber operations (CYBERCOM), space (SPACECOM), nuclear deterrence (STRATCOM), strategic logistics (TRANSCOM) and Special Operations forces worldwide (SOCOM).
While SOUTHCOM’s current stated mission is to counter narcotics flows into the US, its growing presence near Venezuela has been interpreted as a sign of Trump’s strategic interest in the region.
The military buildup is considerable and includes ready-to-deploy expeditionary forces, US naval and air assets, and special operations units.
Al Jazeera’s Defence Editor, Alex Gatopoulos, said, “It’s already the biggest build-up of US military assets in the region for decades. The present force is oriented for land attack and not for counter-narcotics operations.”
The Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) forms the expeditionary core of the US presence in the Caribbean. This group of Navy ships carrying marines, vehicles and helicopters, named after the famous World War II battle of Iwo Jima, is designed to land on a shore quickly, often in emergencies or combat situations.