Venezuela raises military alert, prepares for guerrilla response as USS Gerald R Ford enters Latin American waters

The measure will take effect between Tuesday and Wednesday and involves “placing the entire country’s military arsenal on full operational readiness,” as well as the massive deployment of “land, air, naval, riverine, and missile assets; weapons systems; military units; the Bolivarian Militia; Citizen Security Organs; and the Comprehensive Defense Commands.”

Venezuelan weapons vs US arsenal

According to a Reuters report, 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.

Venezuela bought some 20 Sukhoi fighter jets from the Russian company in the 2000s, but “next to the US B-2s, they are nothing,” said the source with defense and security knowledge, adding that Venezuela’s Russian-made helicopters, tanks and shoulder-fired missiles capable of destroying low-flying airplanes are also outdated.

Venezuela’s 5,000 Russian-made Igla missiles have already been deployed, one of the sources said, and military orders are that, upon receiving “the first hit from the gringos, all units should disperse or go with their weapons to fall back or hide at various locations.”

Venezuela’s poorly trained and equipped military is no match for the US, which will be bringing some of its most advanced weapons and well-trained personnel if there is a face-off.

Venezuela readies for guerrilla-style resistance

Given the poor state of Venezuela’s military, the Maduro government is betting on two potential strategies – including a guerrilla-style response, and another which officials have not acknowledged, Reuters reported.

The guerrilla-style defense, 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.

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, a source with knowledge of defense efforts and another source close to the opposition told Reuters.

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

Any resistance strategy faces long odds of success, the sources acknowledged.

“We wouldn’t last two hours in a conventional war,” said a source close to the government.

Another source with knowledge of defense and security inside Venezuela said that the country was not “prepared or professionalised for a conflict,” despite government assertions to the contrary. “We’re not ready to face one of the world’s most powerful and well-trained armies,” the source said.

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.

USS Gerald R Ford advances to Latin America

Meanwhile, US officials on Tuesday told Reuters that the USS Gerald R Ford aircraft carrier strike group has moved into the Latin America region. President Donald Trump ordered the deployment of the Ford last month, adding to the eight warships, a nuclear submarine, and F-35 aircraft already in the Caribbean.
The Ford, which was commissioned in 2017, is the United States’ newest aircraft carrier and the world’s largest, with more than 5,000 sailors aboard.