Deploying U.S. troops in Venezuela could become a ‘force protection nightmare’ amid potential insurgency threat, retired colonel warns
This story raises questions about governance, accountability, and American values.
The mainstream framing treats Venezuela like a cautionary tale about “mission creep,” as if the main question is whether our planners can manage the optics. That misses the harder issue: why Americans should accept another open-ended deployment when the objective, the exit, and the local politics are all murky. A “force protection nightmare” is not a footnote.
New Republican Times Editorial Board
"The risk with Venezuela is that it could be a hostile environment as well, and that could put U.S. forces in great danger."
Original source:
Read at FortuneHow We See It
New Republican Times Editorial Board
The mainstream framing treats Venezuela like a cautionary tale about “mission creep,” as if the main question is whether our planners can manage the optics. That misses the harder issue: why Americans should accept another open-ended deployment when the objective, the exit, and the local politics are all murky.
A “force protection nightmare” is not a footnote. It is what happens when Washington substitutes ambition for clarity, then asks young Americans to patrol someone else’s civil conflict. Conservatives aren’t allergic to strength, but national security starts with defining what threatens us, not what offends us.
If the goal is deterrence, tighten sanctions and maritime enforcement. If it’s regime change, be honest about the cost. The principle is rule of law, public trust, and strategic restraint: use force only when the mission is lawful, necessary, and achievable.
Commentary written with AI assistance by the New Republican Times Editorial Board.