The weekend raid conducted by American Special Forces that captured narco-terrorist kingpin Nicholas Maduro and his co-conspirator wife Cilia Adela Flores de Maduro, was a tactical masterpiece of timing and execution. And President Trump was right when he said no other military in the world could have pulled it off.
However, lost in the awe over the raid’s brilliant execution has been the raid’s equally brilliant strategic success... if our next moves are right.
In strategic terms the raid was a potential “twofer” or maybe a “fourfer” or “fivefer” if such terms were recognized in the English language.
Not only did the raid demonstrate American military prowess to our enemies, it took out the lynchpin of our enemies’ Western Hemisphere strategy against us:
We could go on with the strategic benefits, but you get the picture – taking out Maduro crippled almost all of our enemies.
The removal of Maduro is all to the good, but it doesn’t mean our strategic goals and the benefits thereof have been fully realized – there is much to be done before the United States takes over and “runs” Venezuela.
First of all, we have yet to establish on the ground control of the country and its government, and Venezuela’s despotic Chavista political leaders have given no indication they are willing to peacefully surrender power.
According to a SITREP produced by our friend former CIA operator Sam Faddis, Maduro’s Chavista henchmen are digging in for a fight.
Following Maduro’s capture, Venezuela’s unelected “Vice President” Delcy Rodriguez convened a meeting of the National Defense Council. She then held a press conference with other key members of the Chavista regime present, including Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, President of the Supreme Tribunal Caryslia Rodríguez, Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello, and Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino.
During the press conference, Rodriguez called on the international community to support the regime in Venezuela and characterized the American operation as a “Zionist stunt”. She claimed broad support from a wide variety of countries, including China and Russia.
Mr. Faddis reported that on Saturday, Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello appeared on video in the street, in fatigues and fully armed. He was accompanied by Alexander Gramcko and Douglas Rico. Gramcko is the head of the Special Affairs Unit within the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence. He runs the Boleita detention center in Caracas. He has been implicated in ordering and participating in arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and torture. Douglas Rico is the Director of Venezuela's main investigative police force, the Corps of Scientific, Criminal, and Criminal Investigations (CICPC). CICPC has long been involved in arbitrary detentions, the mistreatment of prisoners, and extrajudicial killings.
“Trust in the leadership, trust in the leadership of the high political and military command for the situation we are going through. Stay calm, let no one fall into despair, let no one make things easier for the invading enemy, the terrorist enemy that cowardly attacked us,” Cabello urged, according to Sam Faddis’s SITREP.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez also stated on Saturday that the American operation constituted “the most criminal military aggression” and announced the deployment of all defense capabilities, involving land, air, naval, riverine, and missile forces. He urged the population not to give in to panic: “Desperation is the invader’s ally. Let us avoid chaos and anarchy. They have attacked us, but they will not break us. We will prevail.”
In Caracas, Sam Faddis reported, most of the population appears to be staying indoors and out of the streets. Armed members of the colectivos, the muscle for the Chavista regime, are out in force and conducting regular patrols. The city remains tense with a heavy military presence and armored vehicles (tanks) reported near the presidential palace. There have been reports of celebrations of Maduro’s capture amongst Venezuelan expats outside of the country, but no confirmed reports of such celebrations inside Venezuela, where most of the population appears to remain in fear of regime intimidation.
At this point all of the strategic benefits we outlined above are merely potential benefits if we don’t proceed to establish control of the country and its government pending the transition to a pro-American “what comes next.” We urge the President to act with alacrity to achieve the strategic goals and benefits of taking out the lynchpin of our enemies’ Western Hemisphere strategy against us.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for former Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for retired Rep. Mac Thornberry formerly a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. In 1989 he staffed Vice President Quayle's visit to Venezuela for the inauguration of the country's last democratically elected president, Carlos Andrés Pérez.
However, lost in the awe over the raid’s brilliant execution has been the raid’s equally brilliant strategic success... if our next moves are right.
In strategic terms the raid was a potential “twofer” or maybe a “fourfer” or “fivefer” if such terms were recognized in the English language.
Not only did the raid demonstrate American military prowess to our enemies, it took out the lynchpin of our enemies’ Western Hemisphere strategy against us:
- Red China lost a key source of the oil necessary to power its economy and military.
- Russia lost a key hub of the money and oil laundering operation that powers its military and economy.
- Cuba lost its source of discount oil.
- Iran lost a key hub of the money and oil laundering operation that powers its military and economy.
- The Iranians also lost their remote location for the manufacture of military drones and other military technology.
- Red China lost a key intelligence outpost for operations against the United States.
- Russia lost a key intelligence outpost for operations against the United States.
- Iran lost a key intelligence outpost for operations against the United States.
- Hezbollah and Hamas lost a safe haven and a key source of weapons, and money and an outpost for operations against the United States.
We could go on with the strategic benefits, but you get the picture – taking out Maduro crippled almost all of our enemies.
The removal of Maduro is all to the good, but it doesn’t mean our strategic goals and the benefits thereof have been fully realized – there is much to be done before the United States takes over and “runs” Venezuela.
First of all, we have yet to establish on the ground control of the country and its government, and Venezuela’s despotic Chavista political leaders have given no indication they are willing to peacefully surrender power.
According to a SITREP produced by our friend former CIA operator Sam Faddis, Maduro’s Chavista henchmen are digging in for a fight.
Following Maduro’s capture, Venezuela’s unelected “Vice President” Delcy Rodriguez convened a meeting of the National Defense Council. She then held a press conference with other key members of the Chavista regime present, including Chief Prosecutor Tarek William Saab, Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, President of the Supreme Tribunal Caryslia Rodríguez, Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello, and Minister of Defense Vladimir Padrino.
During the press conference, Rodriguez called on the international community to support the regime in Venezuela and characterized the American operation as a “Zionist stunt”. She claimed broad support from a wide variety of countries, including China and Russia.
Mr. Faddis reported that on Saturday, Minister of the Interior Diosdado Cabello appeared on video in the street, in fatigues and fully armed. He was accompanied by Alexander Gramcko and Douglas Rico. Gramcko is the head of the Special Affairs Unit within the General Directorate of Military Counterintelligence. He runs the Boleita detention center in Caracas. He has been implicated in ordering and participating in arbitrary detentions, forced disappearances, and torture. Douglas Rico is the Director of Venezuela's main investigative police force, the Corps of Scientific, Criminal, and Criminal Investigations (CICPC). CICPC has long been involved in arbitrary detentions, the mistreatment of prisoners, and extrajudicial killings.
“Trust in the leadership, trust in the leadership of the high political and military command for the situation we are going through. Stay calm, let no one fall into despair, let no one make things easier for the invading enemy, the terrorist enemy that cowardly attacked us,” Cabello urged, according to Sam Faddis’s SITREP.
Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez also stated on Saturday that the American operation constituted “the most criminal military aggression” and announced the deployment of all defense capabilities, involving land, air, naval, riverine, and missile forces. He urged the population not to give in to panic: “Desperation is the invader’s ally. Let us avoid chaos and anarchy. They have attacked us, but they will not break us. We will prevail.”
In Caracas, Sam Faddis reported, most of the population appears to be staying indoors and out of the streets. Armed members of the colectivos, the muscle for the Chavista regime, are out in force and conducting regular patrols. The city remains tense with a heavy military presence and armored vehicles (tanks) reported near the presidential palace. There have been reports of celebrations of Maduro’s capture amongst Venezuelan expats outside of the country, but no confirmed reports of such celebrations inside Venezuela, where most of the population appears to remain in fear of regime intimidation.
At this point all of the strategic benefits we outlined above are merely potential benefits if we don’t proceed to establish control of the country and its government pending the transition to a pro-American “what comes next.” We urge the President to act with alacrity to achieve the strategic goals and benefits of taking out the lynchpin of our enemies’ Western Hemisphere strategy against us.
George Rasley is editor of Richard Viguerie's ConservativeHQ.com and is a veteran of over 300 political campaigns. A member of American MENSA, he served on the staff of Vice President Dan Quayle, as Director of Policy and Communication for former Congressman Adam Putnam (FL-12) then Vice Chairman of the Oversight and Government Reform Committee's Subcommittee on National Security and Foreign Affairs, and as spokesman for retired Rep. Mac Thornberry formerly a member of the House Intelligence Committee and Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. In 1989 he staffed Vice President Quayle's visit to Venezuela for the inauguration of the country's last democratically elected president, Carlos Andrés Pérez.
