Well, maybe kind of about oil... shipping lanes in the gulf.
We do not fly F-35s to Puerto Rico for cocaine skiffs. We do not send a carrier strike group to the Caribbean for routine interdiction. We do not move an Amphibious Ready Group with an embarked Marine Expeditionary Unit for drug runners. The force package tells you what planners are worried about.
Venezuela has established a pattern of accepting foreign-enabled drone production, electronic warfare support, and strategic naval deployments. The regime has built the infrastructure (ports, coastal access, cartel logistics, sanctions evasion channels) that would support a UUV program. If Iran is willing to transfer drone manufacturing capability and deploy seabase ships into the Atlantic, the step to UUVs is not a leap. It is an extension of what is already underway.
A deniable, proxy-operated capability is designed to stay below the threshold of public confirmation.
This theory checks out with me, Venezuela as a forward-operating-base for China/Russian marine drones... couldn't discuss that publicly or our defense apparatus would look weak in the face of this type of asymmetry. This is also consistent with the rest of the new Monroe doctrine, securing our hemisphere, Border Sec/Ops in Mexico, US hardware and other partnerships with El Salvador, kicking China Inc. out of the Panama Canal, 20B to Milei, regime change in Chile....
https://medium.com/@mcnai002/the-venezuelan-drone-crisis-313dad18497d
From the linked article:
I cannot imagine that an institution like the US DOD has decayed to the point where they don't understand that deterrence isn't a good defense against sabotage. Thus I would expect that no
*UVsolution gets developed without a shadow program to defend against the capability.If I am wrong about that... then the cognitive decline is real and those AIs better get real smart real soon.
What's implied in the article I think is that because if you can't defend against it you must control areas from where they might be deployed... In this case Ukraine/Venezuela
There's levels of deterrence, perhaps nuclear deterrence doesnt prevent deniable sabotage but deniable counter-sabotage can at least exact an equal cost
I don't disagree with that, just I'm of the unpopular opinion that it's insane to push asymmetry while naked.
That's where I'd deviate from the article, I don't think the US is provoking Russia and that Venezuala is a Russia problem... Ukraine is Europe trying to keep the US engaged, and Venezuela is China trying to diminish US presence in the Pacific
I think with the EU handing over $105bln (approx 60% of the total EU "federal" budget) to UA some 30h ago, they are no longer trying to keep the US engaged. That problem is solved for the US for the coming 6 months until Euros learn somewhere Summer 2026 how easy it is to make 105bln disappear.
Edit: thinking about what I just wrote, let's make it Spring 2026
The most entertaining outcome is the most likely
That money is secured against the seized Russian assets at the ECB, with the intent of keeping it as reparations... but that assumes Russia takes a deal that doesn't include getting that money back... and there's no leverage for that. This leaves Europe even having to escalate since they can't pay it back (or get rolled over)
With the exception of Belgium and France, taxes can still go up.
Oh yea no doubt Europe is fucked no matter what, thats why I think there's some truth to this:
https://www.defenseone.com/policy/2025/12/make-europe-great-again-and-more-longer-version-national-security-strategy/410038/
It's been called a false leak, but I think it was more of a trial balloon/limited hangout.
The nature of warfare is changing rapidly with technology.
Most of the legacy US military apparatus is redundant.
And that which isn't cannot be built without rare earths.
China is ahead of the new technology and supply chains essential to modern warfare.
As for AI- good luck with that as the US does not have enough electricity generation to power the data centres projected. China in contrast has a projected surplus equal to the entire worlds projected AI electricity power demand by 2030.
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China already has Iran and Russia mainlining their black gold into the veins of its economy and receiving payment via Chinas trade payment protocol alternatives to SWIFT and USD hegemony .
Venezuela is routing its heavy crude to China via Iran.
This is too much for Trump who in the face of China humiliating him and his bluster hopes to retain at least regional hegemony over the Americas.
Russia has joined China is saying 'Fuck you Uncle Sam...you are a spent force.'
The bottom line is that USA cannot now fight a war of any scale without China resuming the supply of rare earths which are essential to modern warfare.
But Venezuela is surely a scenario where the near crippled US military industrial complex can still assert it power projection and hegemony over strategic resources - or can it?
If it cannot, the petrodollar and the US empire it supports, is one more step closer to redundancy.
US military compkex is in a constant need of wars. Otherwise they will get bsnkrupt.
Why do you thnk Trump tenamed the DoD into DoW ?
It's all about generating wars everywhere.
Blah blah blah change the record.
Statist this, statist that, blah blah blah.
Bitcoin maxi rails loudly against the military industrial complex.
And yet you resolutely boycott the MoE use of sats on Stacker News while posturing to be a Bitcoin Maxi who lives on the BTC Standard.
I say you @DarthCoin are a fake and a hypocrit.
Actions speak louder than words ~ and your actions are not those of someone who is living on the bitcoin standard or even wants to be - your actions are those of an arsemilking parasite hypocrit.
Why should genuine Bitcoiners send their precious sats to any arsemiliking parasite who does not have their horse and gun activated?
If you do not have gun and horse showing you are taking sats but not giving. Go away you sad parasitic hypocrits.