Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Eugene

(61,807 posts)
Wed May 1, 2019, 12:31 PM May 2019

U.S. military not given orders to prepare for war in Venezuela

Source: Reuters

WORLD NEWS MAY 1, 2019 / 11:00 AM / UPDATED AN HOUR AGO

U.S. military not given orders to prepare for war in Venezuela

Phil Stewart, Idrees Ali
4 MIN READ

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The Pentagon on Wednesday appeared to downplay any active planning to directly intervene in Venezuela to topple President Nicolas Maduro, telling Congress it had not been given orders to prepare for war and stressing support for diplomacy.

Asked whether the U.S. military had been given instructions to ready itself for a military conflict, perhaps by prepositioning troops, Kathryn Wheelbarger, the accting assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, said: “We, of course, always review available options and plan for contingencies.

“But in this case we have not been given (the) sort of orders that you’re discussing, no,” Wheelbarger told the House Armed Services Committee.

U.S. Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, which oversees U.S. forces in Latin America, said past planning included preparing for potential non-combatant evacuations and helping deliver U.S. humanitarian aid but stressed that his top focus in the region was building partnerships

-snip-


Read more: https://www.reuters.com/article/us-venezuela-politics-usa-military/u-s-military-not-given-orders-to-prepare-for-war-in-venezuela-idUSKCN1S744M
Latest Discussions»Region Forums»Latin America»U.S. military not given o...