Trump Authorizes CIA to Conduct Operations in Venezuela, Escalating US Pressure on Maduro

Strategic Insights -

US President Donald Trump revealed on Wednesday that he has authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to conduct operations in Venezuela, in a move aimed at pressuring President Nicolás Maduro amid a string of lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking boats in the Caribbean waters off Venezuela's coast. The exact scope of the CIA's new authorities remains unclear, but the agency has reportedly surged personnel to the Caribbean and Central America as part of the Trump administration's efforts against Western Hemisphere drug cartels.

Key Takeaways:

  • The Trump administration has escalated pressure on Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro with a series of menacing moves, including ramped-up US air and naval activity in the Caribbean near Venezuela's coast.
  • The CIA has surged personnel to the Caribbean and Central America as part of the Trump administration's efforts against Western Hemisphere drug cartels, with the agency's counternarcotics programs in the hemisphere focusing on alliances with cooperative governments.
  • The CIA's counternarcotics programs in the region have traditionally centered on alliances with cooperative governments, such as Mexico, Colombia, and Peru, where agency officers train and vet local counter-drug units, and provide them with equipment and intelligence.
  • The Trump administration has designated eight cartels as foreign terrorist organizations, upping the stakes for US security agencies, while other intelligence agencies, including the National Counterterrorism Center, have shifted significantly to the counternarcotics fight.
  • A covert finding by Trump does not necessarily mean only military action, with Elliott Abrams, in charge of Venezuela policy at the State Department during Trump's first term, noting that covert operations could involve infiltrating the Venezuelan military or launching psychological operations to cause Maduro to flee into exile.

Statistics:

  • 27 people have been killed in the five known attacks conducted by Special Operations units under Defense Department command, armed primarily with tactical military intelligence.
  • The Trump administration has divested efforts by Richard Grenell, the president's special missions envoy, to negotiate a deal in which Maduro would offer up US control of Venezuela's rare minerals and oil assets and reduce ties with China, Russia, and Iran in exchange for Washington letting up on its pressure.
  • Venezuela has continued accepting deportation flights of its citizens from the United States, which have occurred at a rate of two a week in recent months.
  • The CIA has traditionally employed a "hub-and-spoke" approach, with one CIA station covering several islands in the Caribbean.

Sources:

  • The New York Times
  • A White House news conference
  • The Washington Post
  • The Wall Street Journal
  • A joint statement from the top Democrats on national security committees in Congress