When the USS Gerald R Ford,the world’s largest aircraft carrier,arrives in the Caribbean,it will mark the end of the largest US military mobilization as the Iraq War.
About 10,000 troops have massed in the region, backed by dozens of warships, submarines and fighter jets armed with hundreds of long-range missiles. All their firepower seems to be aimed at Nicolás Maduro, the president of Venezuela.
According to reports, White House and Pentagon officials have prepared a series of military options against the south American dictatorship, including direct attacks on Maduro or operations to seize the contry’s oil fields.
Donald Trump has repeatedly hinted that ground strikes are imminent, and senior officials such as Marco Rubio, his secretary of state, have encouraged regime change by force.
The US has already killed more than 75 people in speedboats and submarines in an escalating military campaign against drug traffickers in the region.
Presidential advisers are reportedly consulting with the Justice Department on whether the operation could be expanded to mainland Venezuela.
Analysts believe this means strikes on everything from military bases to cocaine labs, secret runways used for drug trafficking and guerrilla camps.
It is claimed that Maduro, who has ruled the country since 2013 after the death of former president Hugo Chavez, is a central figure in the cartels who deliver drugs to the US.
In August, Attorney General Pam Bondi said the dictator “will not escape justice and will be held accountable for his heinous crimes”, doubling the reward for his arrest to $50m (around £38m).
So far, trump has refused to reveal his exact plans. But when CBS News asked him if he thought maduro’s days were numbered, the US president replied: “I think so.”
Whatever he decides, Trump will have no shortage of options
With the arrival of the USS Gerald R Ford and its accompanying strike group, 5,000 sailors and 75 attack and support aircraft, including F-18 fighter jets, appeared.
Additionally, in recent weeks the US military has deployed 10 F-35 stealth jets and three MQ-9 Reaper drones to nearby puerto Rico, where 5,000 US troops are already stationed.
B2 and B1 bombers, capable of carrying the 30,000-kilogram Massive Ordnance Penetrator used recently to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, have flown in takeoffs off the coast of Venezuela.
Besides them, there are enough warships and submarines in the area that can carry almost 500 long-range Tomahawk precision cruise missiles.
Any operation would be a return to the heyday of America’s “banana wars” in the Caribbean in the 20th century – interventions designed to protect commercial interests in the region.
To achieve his grand goal of ousting Maduro,Trump will likely have to ignore prohibitions on the assassination of foreign leaders.
As the White House debates its next high-stakes move,the Telegraph explores options the US president could take to topple Venezuela’s dictatorship,based on previous examples of regime change.
1. Heavy
Potential US Military Intervention in Venezuela
Growing tensions between the United States and Venezuela raise the possibility of military intervention. While the Trump administration has repeatedly stated that “all options are on the table,” a closer look at recent military movements and ancient precedents suggests a potential campaign is being seriously considered.
The US has a history of military involvement in the Middle East – iran,Yemen,Iraq and Syria – in the hope of achieving various objectives.
But perhaps the most comparable campaign with a potential strike against Venezuela would be the 2011 operation used to topple Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi.
American forces massing in the region strongly suggest that this is the main option Trump is considering.
American fighter jets armed with air-to-surface missiles and Tomahawks fired from warships and submarines off the coast would make speedy work of any targets on the continent.
first on the hit list would likely be Venezuela’s Russian-made S-300 air defense systems. Experts suggest that the systems are only partially operational and not suitable for countering US forces.
The US planes are likely to meet little resistance from the Russian Sukhoi, p