Weak in Battle, Dangerous in Resistance: Venezuela’s Military Preparedness and Possible Responses to U.S. Action

Amid a significant U.S. military buildup in the Caribbean, Venezuela's armed forces face a potential confrontation with Washington. While the nation once boasted a powerful military with advanced Russian hardware, its conventional forces are now a hollowed-out shell plagued by poor maintenance, low morale, and fuel shortages. The Maduro regime's real strength lies not in open battle but in its capacity for asymmetric resistance, utilizing loyalist forces, a large civilian militia, and allied paramilitary groups. This strategy aims to leverage rugged terrain and urban centers to make any foreign intervention prolonged, costly, and politically difficult.