Venezuela Preps for US Attack
Venezuela shows off its military power in this YouTube video. Screenshot taken from “Venezuela | Military power | Armed Forces – Best weapons | Specifications”
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The Venezuelan government has said it is preparing its armed forces in the event of an invasion or military attack by the United States, reports Aljazeera. A statement shared by Minister of People’s Power for Defence Vladimir Padrino on Tuesday said that the preparations include the “massive deployment of ground, aerial, naval, riverine and missile forces,” as well as the participation of police, militias, and citizens’ units.
Military Times reports the USS Gerald Ford, the Navy’s largest aircraft carrier, entered the US Southern Command area of responsibility on Tuesday. That area includes the land mass of Latin America south of Mexico, the waters adjacent to Central and South America, and the Caribbean Sea, according to the Navy’s press release, announcing “Secretary of War Pete Hegseth directed the Carrier Strike Group to support the President’s directive to dismantle Transnational Criminal Organizations and counter narco-terrorism in defense of the Homeland.”
Military Times has begun maintaining a list of US military strikes against alleged drug-carrying vessels in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean since early September. The lists reflects 19 strikes and 75 killed as of Nov. 10, to reflect Sunday’s downing of two vessels in the eastern Pacific Ocean, killing six in the Trump administration’s campaign against drug trafficking, reports Military.com.
Military.com parses the elements at play in targeting Venezuela including documented human rights abuses and a transit role for cocaine reaching the US. The US Drug Enforcement Agency identifies Mexican cartels using chemicals from China as the principal source of US overdoses from drugs such as fentanyl. Venezuela is not a major producer of fentanyl or methamphetamine destined for the US.
The House voted 222 to 209 to approve a funding package and end the government shutdown, sending the bill to President Trump’s desk for his signature. CBS News reports, the legislation extends funding for most agencies until Jan. 30 and includes three full-year funding bills for other parts of the government.
The Senate voted 60-40 on Monday to pass the spending bill to reopen the government and that includes full-year funding for military construction, Veterans Affairs, the Department of Agriculture, and the legislative branch. The rest of the government is funded only through Jan. 30, reports The Hill. The funding bill allows for federal paychecks and other funding components to resume, with senators also set to hold a vote on health care tax credits.
The spending bill would allocate $133 billion in discretionary funding for the VA and about $20 billion for military construction, reports Stars and Stripes. The Pentagon construction programs aim to modernize facilities and build troop housing. The bill would also provide $263.7 billion in mandatory funding for veterans benefits as well as $115.1 billion for veterans medical care and an extra $52.6 billion for veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxins.
Federal authorities are prohibiting all operators of McDonnell Douglas MD-11 planes from flying the aircraft until they are inspected after a UPS cargo plane crashed into a ball of flames shortly after taking off from Louisville Muhammad Ali International Airport in Kentucky earlier this week, killing 14 people.
Democratic senators of states that bore the brunt of the fallout from previous explosive nuclear weapons testing have introduced the No Nuclear Testing Without Approval Act to bar Trump from unilaterally resuming such tests, reports Stars and Stripes. While the routine launch of a Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic missile continues, the US’s last nuclear explosive testing was in 1992. “No administration should have the authority to set off nuclear bombs on American soil without any oversight or outreach to the states that would bear the burden of these dangerous tests,” said Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV).
The Coast Guard, with Homeland Security, is looking nationwide for a site to build a training facility to support projected service growth of up to 15,000 personnel, reports Military.com.
Hegseth announced last week his plan to speed up the pace of new weapon purchases by replacing the existing Defense Acquisition System with the new Warfighting Acquisition System, reports Military Times. The “objective is simple,” Hegseth said, “transform the entire acquisition system to operate on a wartime footing … and focus on results,” reports Military.com. Prioritizing quick delivery over a perfect product reflects underfunded Ukraine’s success using cheap drones to hold off a technologically superior Moscow.
The new acquisition plan also shakes up the Pentagon’s approach to foreign military sales, says DefenseScoop, in an effort to reform military processes for supplying technology and weapons systems to international buyers.
Most Tricare health plan costs for military and retiree households will go up between 2% and 3% in 2026, with some steeper increases of over 15% for prescription drugs, reports Military.com.
The longest federal government shutdown on record curtailed and even canceled Veterans Day parades, ceremonies, and other events across the US that are normally held to mark the Nov. 11 holiday, reports Military Times.
Chief Master SGT David Wolfe will serve as the 21st chief master sergeant of the Air Force, reports Military Times. Wolfe was command chief master sergeant of Air Combat Command in Virginia. He replaces David Flosi who retired last month following the unexpected death of his wife in September.
Yemen’s Houthi rebels are signaling they’ve stopped their attacks against Israel and shipping in the Red Sea as a shaky ceasefire holds in the Gaza Strip, reports AP News. In an undated letter to Hamas’ Qassam Brigades published online by the group, the Houthis offered their clearest signal that their attacks have halted.
The US is exploring plans to build a large military base along Israel’s border with Gaza, according to an investigative report by Shomrim the Center for Media and Democracy. The Jerusalem Post reports the prospective site would allegedly be capable of housing thousands of American troops and serve future international stabilization efforts.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte has stated that the alliance has overtaken Russia in ammunition production, a huge milestone in its industrial mobilization since the invasion of Ukraine, reports UK Defence.
Contacts awards are not being published during the government shutdown.
