Global Conflict Reporting

Tag: Defense

  • A look at Venezuela’s Military Capabilities. 

    By. Scott Jackson

    10.23.2025

    With the announcement of United States ground operations planned for Venezuela, I thought we might take a look at the Ejército Bolivariano (Bolivarian Army) defenses and capabilities. What exactly are they working with and how will the US, using what we know they have in the region, counter these systems.

    First lets look at the most recent movements.This is a Buk-M2E Surface-to-Air Missile System (NATO-SA-27) spotted this morning in the area of Naiguata, on the coast of Venezuela. This is possibly the same system that was spotted in the same area several weeks ago and is set up in almost the same spot.

    The SA-27 has a maximum engagement range of around 70km (about 43 miles), and its search radar has a search range of over 150km(about 93 miles). We don’t see the Buk’s  “snowdrift” radar present in the image. If I was setting this up I would position the radar in the hills that overlook the coast, giving it a better view of the area. This system is no joke and has given Ukraine all sorts of problems in that war. The system can launch 4 missiles before needing a reload. 

    SA-27 and range circle.
    SA-27 on the beach of Naiguata.

    Venezuela’s military isn’t super modernized so a lot of the equipment they are working with are older Soviet/Russian systems, including S-300VM’s (NATO-SA-12A Gladiator)  which Maduro’s predecessor got in a deal to loan russia a couple billion dollars in the 2010s.Its reported they only have a limited number of these (Possibly 4 launchers) These have likely been repositioned to protect the capital and other strategic sites around the country. The range of these depends on the missile, which are the 9M83M and 9M82M. These are claimed to be able to hit targets out to a range of 81 miles and 124 miles, respectively. Each launcher holds 2 missiles each, and takes around an hour to reload.

    S-300VM Gladiator


    The last Surface to air missile system we will talk about is a lesser known one, The  S-125 Neva/Pechora (NATO- SA-3 Goa), Most well known for shooting down a F-111 Nighthawk over Serbia. This is an older system with a decent range of anywhere from 15km to 35+km depending on the actual missile used. 

    S-125 Neva/Pechora (NATO- SA-3 Goa)

    The last bit of air defense the EB possesses was reported on by mainstream media today with their story of Maduro threatening that he has 5000 missile systems at the ready, what he was referring to was the countries stock of Man portable air defense systems (MANPADS), mainly Igla-S (SA-24 Grinch) and the Swedish RBS 70. Short range rockets that can be fired by almost anybody but very short range. 6km(3 miles) up to 11,000ft, so not really a threat to anything flying at a normal altitude but still worth considering in mission planning. 

    While their air defense is outdated at best and possibly nonfunctioning in the worst of cases, their air fleet is nothing to ignore, around 20 Su-30MK2V Flanker’s make up the bulk of their fighting power. The Su-30 can be outfitted with the R-77 missiles (AA-12 Adder). This missile has a 50km(31Miles) range and is guided by a datalink from the jet before switching to an active radar guidance. It’s also been proposed that this weapon has a home-on-jam feature which forces the missile to target the source of any electronic jamming. 

    Su-30MK2V Flanker

    The flankers can also carry the R-27 (AA-10 Alamo) which are shorter range and use passive radar guidance as well as inferred, though not exactly.This missile comes in several variants, like the semi-active radar-homing R-27R and the infrared-guided R-27T, as well as the longer-range radar-guided R-27ER and the infrared-guided R-27ET. The R-27R is reportedly around 37 miles, and 31 miles for the R-27T. The extended-range versions are able to hit targets at a maximum range of 59 miles (R-27ER) or 56 miles (R-27ET).

    The close range engagements for the SU-30 are handled by the R-73(NATO-AA-11 Archer) which is similar to something like an AIM-9 Sidewinder. Includes features like all-aspect infrared seeker, high off-boresight capability, thrust-vectoring controls, and the ability to be cued by the pilot’s helmet-mounted sight.maximum range of around 18.6 miles against a head-on target, or 8.7 miles in a tail-on engagement

    Venezuela also possesses some (maybe 3 that fly) F-16A/B’s once purchased from the US in the 1980s, when relations were much warmer. Two of these were involved in a show of force conducted against an Arleigh Burke class destroyer USS Jason Dunham, last month.These are not the F-16’s you might see today, these planes carry no beyond visible range weapons and lack the upgrades given to today’s F-16’s. The best weapon they possibly have is the Israeli supplied Python-4, a supplement for the AIM-9 Sidewinders. These are possibly the oldest and most out of date F-16’s flying in the world and are mostly there for show.

    U.S. Military buildup

    While the U.S. has comparatively unlimited resources to throw at this. Realistically they are more likely to use what they have in hand and what’s readily available. I’ve gone over most of this in the past but it’s worth a refresher. 

    Let’s start with what we won’t see. Last week, the White House confirmed that US President Donold Trump had authorized the Central Intelligence Agency to operate within Venezuela. This is possible, probable even. 

    Image shows satellite photo showing the spec ops Ghost-ship M/V Ocean Trader in the Caribbean.

    We also have satellite images (confirmed later) that show that the MV Ocean Trader is in the area. This is a highly modified vehicular carrier and more so this  ship is a special forces helicopter/drone mothership. This lines up with images and reports that put the US Army 160th special operations aviation regiment ”Nightstalkers” in the area, possibly operating from the ship. 

    Little birds and Blackhawks from 160th Nightstalkers SOAR

    Moving on with the rest of the assets. Let’s start with everything that shoots a Tomahawk Cruise Missile. We have 3 Arleigh Burke-Class Guided Missile Destroyers.

    -USS Stockdale DDG-106

    -USS Gravley DDG-107 

    -USS Jason Dunham DDG-109

    USS Stockdale

     -We also have the Ticonderoga-Class USS Lake Erie CG-70.

    All of these are going to have around 32 cruise missiles apiece. 

    -In addition we have the submarine USS Newport News SSN 750 with another 12 Cruise missile.  

    -USS Wichita LCS 13 

    Three supply ships 

    -USNS Kanawha T-AO-196 

    -USNS Henry J Kaiser T-AO-187 

    -USNS Joshua Humphreys T-AO-188

    USNS Henry J Kaiser T-AO-187  replenishment oiler

    Next is the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) with the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) (SOC) made up of the 

    -Wasp-class Amphibious Assault Ship USS Iwo Jima LHD 7

    -Amphibious transport dock USS San Antonio LPD 17, and USS Fort Lauderdale LPD 28. 

    The above group had limited air-to-ground capability with its Harriers as well as transport options for the marines stationed aboard. 

    Rounding this list off we have 

    -At least 10 F-35’s from the  “Vikings” of Marine Fighter Attack Squadron (VMFA) 225 stationed at Puerto Rico’s Roosevelt Roads Naval Station. 

    At least two AC-130 Ghostrider Gunship 

    -a reported total of around 10,000 soldiers.(not sure if this includes the 2,000 marines) 

    We also have a collection of aircraft that have appeared in the region  but not necessarily stuck around,2 B-52H Stratofortress Bombers, B-1B-Lancer Bombers,  a number of KC-135 Stratotankers, Dozens of Cargo planes (C-5 Galaxy’s and C-130’s) EC-3 Sentry AWACS ,and P-8 Poseidon ASW/Maritime Patrol plane.  

    While this list is large, I’m sure it’s not all of the assets currently in the theater. One of the United States best advantages here is it being close to home, allowing them to call in pretty much anything they want. The question isn’t whether the Venezuelan military will be defeated, it’s more like “how long will they last?”

    As I finished this, a B-1B lancer flew just within range of where that BUK is sitting and then turned around. Playing Peek-A-boo. just thought that was interesting considering this article started with talking about the range of that system.

  • Ukraine makes big decisions regarding the future of its air power. 

    AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom

    By.Scott Jackson

    10.22.2025

    Two big announcements have come in the past three days signaling that Ukraine is looking to make changes to its military air power. Currently Ukraine’s military uses a mixture of old Soviet equipment plus whatever platforms have been bought or donated to them by their partners in Europe and America. 

    This weekend it was announced that Bell Textron, the American Aerospace company responsible for the AH-1Z Viper and UH-1Y Venom helicopters, have signed a ‘memorandum of understanding’ in Washington with the government in Ukraine. Essentially this starts the ball rolling on future aircraft deliveries, after the framework and support for the systems have been built in Ukraine. The statement released by the company and government of Ukraine mentions that these helicopters are likely to be built in Ukraine, bolstering Ukraine’s defense industry and going a far step to modernize Ukraine’s helicopter fleet.

    Ukraine’s helicopter fleet is currently made up of mostly old Soviet systems. The Mil Mi-24 (Hind) gunship has been a workhorse in the current war and while effective for what it does, It’s an older platform with limitations. This deal will give Ukraine a fleet of modernized helicopters with a proven track record of combat capabilities. A huge benefit is that the Venom and Viper share 84% commonality meaning training pilots and support crew is much quicker. 

    While this deal isn’t finalized it does signal that the process is in the works and should go through as long as the U.S. government agrees to it. If the deal goes through it’s likely a number of aircraft will be transferred to Ukraine so they can start training pilots and the support crew on their operations. 

    The AH-1Z Viper attack chopper is a twin engine attack helicopter with a speed of 300KTS and a range of 310 nautical miles. The platform provides an excellent ground attack platform, carrying a main gun as well as air-to-ground missiles with the option of carrying sidewinders for engaging air targets. These helicopters are also survivable in the worst cases with self sealing fuel cells and armored crash resistant seats for the crew. 

    The Venom on the other hand is a jack-of-all-trades workhorse. There is a reason it’s sometimes called the Super Huey as the spirit of the Huey from the Vietnam days lives on in the Venom. It’s mostly used for carrying supplies or troops but it can also be equipped with rockets and door guns in case you just really need the extra firepower or a AN/ALQ-231(V)3 Intrepid Tiger II sensor pod for precision electronic attack capabilities (maybe in support of a squad of Vipers, for example.) Its speed is similar to that of a viper however its unladen range is a bit further. With a 2000lb payload its range is 150NM.

    Ukraine’s helicopter fleet isn’t the only upgrade Ukraine is looking to. Just today Ukraine President Zelenskyy met with the Swedish government and signed another letter of intent, for the purchase of as many as 150 of the Swedish made Saab Jas-39 Gripen E fighter jets. 

    The Gripen is a single engine, supersonic, multi-role fighter jet. A highly maneuverable fighter, the Gripen is designed for what’s known as JAS in the Swedish language, Jakt (Air-to-air), attack (air-to-surface) and Spaning (Reconnaissance). The E version of this fighter is built with some higher end capabilities including electronic warfare, a more powerful engine, and increased weapons capacity.

  • U.S. continues strikes on drug boats in Caribbean

    A look inside the well deck of the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7)

    By.Scott Jackson

    10.19.2025

    The United States Department of Defense and White House released footage showing the destruction of a Venezuelan submarine reported to be involved in cartel drug trafficking operations and the transportation of fentanyl, a powerful synthetic opiate. The sub was destroyed on Thursday. 

    While all the media and even this article calls the vessel a submarine it’s more like a semi- submersible. Most of the vessel is underwater but it doesn’t have the capability to fully submerge itself. If this vessel is anything like others that have been stopped trying to smuggle drugs into America in the past, it was made with fiberglass and plywood. 

    Video of the strike on the Venezuelan semi-submersible.

    The submarine had two survivors who were rescued by a US helicopter and taken to a Navy ship in the area. The men will eventually be repatriated to their home countries according to the US. The men are from Ecuador and Colombia.  The bombing of the sub killed two other men, both alleged to be Narco terrorists. Sending the men back to their home countries helps the US avoid any turbulent legal issues of detaining the men whose drug trafficking crimes don’t exactly fit under the laws of war.

    Neither the pentagon or the White House offered any other comments when asked by GCR or other media outlets. 

    Moving on to today, it was just several hours ago reported that the US said they had carried out a strike on a vessel associated with a Colombian leftist rebel group,National Liberation Army.

    This strike has led to a falling out between US president Trump and Columbian President Gustavo Petro as the Colombian President accused the US of murder.
    “US government officials have committed a murder and violated our sovereignty in territorial waters. Fisherman Alejandro Carranza had no ties to the drug trade and his daily activity was fishing,” said Gustavo Petro on a post on social media. He added “The Colombian boat was adrift and had its distress signal up due to an engine failure. We await explanations from the US government.”

    Trump and Colombian President Gustavo Petro

    That US response was swift, with Trump and the White House cutting off all subsidies. Trump said the Columbian president  “is an illegal drug leader strongly encouraging the massive production of drugs, in big and small fields, all over Columbia”.

    Trump later ranted on Truth Social “It has become the biggest business in Columbia, by far, and Petro does nothing to stop it, despite large scale payments and subsidies from the USA that are nothing more than a long term rip off of America. AS OF TODAY, THESE PAYMENTS, OR ANY OTHER FORM OF PAYMENT, OR SUBSIDIES, WILL NO LONGER BE MADE TO COLUMBIA,”

    Trump continued “The purpose of this drug production is the sale of massive amounts of product into the United States, causing death, destruction, and havoc,” the president said.

    “Petro, a low rated and very unpopular leader, with a fresh mouth toward America, better close up these killing fields immediately, or the United States will close them up for him, and it won’t be done nicely.”

    -Statement from Donold Trump.

  • Breaking down the recent Video from US Southern Command.

    By. Scott Jackson

    10.05.2025

    The video from US Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM)

    On October the 3rd, US Southern Command released footage from US operations ongoing in the Caribbean. The video shows the loading of a U.S. Marine F-35B Lightning II with live munitions at the now reactivated Roosevelt Road Naval Station.

    Image from Google Earth showing the location of Roosevelt Road.
    Closer look at the airport.

    This aircraft, if it was just one jet, it’s not clear in the video, was outfitted with a mixture of air-to-ground and air-to-air weapons. My info is coming from publicly available information on the weapons systems and some of my own knowledge of this topic from years of research. Any mistakes or opinions are,as always, my own. The first clip shows the loading of an AIM-9X Sidewinder. The AIM-9X is an inferred guided, proximity fused weapon. 

    Variations of the Sidewinder started life as the primary weapon of many early Cold War era jets alongside their main cannons. This is not that Sidewinder, it is so updated and advanced it’s hard to even think of this as the same missile. The original AIM-9 Sidewinder used in Vietnam had an abysmal success rate that averaged somewhere around 9%. So 1 out of 10 would hit their targets. While the original weapon could only heat-track a target aircraft’s exhaust, this weapon is capable of detecting the heat from the friction of the target aircraft going through the sky making shots at the front or side of the target a possibility. A thrust vectoring engine on the AIM-9X gives it incredible maneuverability. The publicly available information puts the range at somewhere around 10-15 miles depending on some factors(Altitude-speed etc.)that can shorten or extend that range. This is not your grandfather’s Sidewinder.

    F-22 firing an AIM-9 Sidewinder

    Moving on we get a quick look at one that’s probably familiar to you (if not by look, then by name) the GBU-54(V)/B LJDAM (Laser Joint Direct Attack Munition).This is the laser guided version of a pretty standard MK 82 500 pound air-to-ground bomb with the added bolt-on JDAM guidance kit giving it some pretty spectacular accuracy. 

    JDAM on display at Airforce Museum

    JDAM is like an aftermarket part for a bomb turning it into a GPS guided precision weapon.We don’t talk enough about the effect that the JDAM and other guidance systems have had on tactical bombing, long gone are the days you have to drop 12 bombs to hit one target. If the target is a house, a decent pilot can hit the house 90% of the time, a great pilot and a bit of laser guidance can put a JDAM through the window. 

    This is how you used to drop bombs. Multiple at a time and hope that you hit your target.

    The last weapon shown is the AIM-120 AMRAAM-C/D (Advanced Medium Range Air-To-Air Missile) or, sometimes called Slammers after their first 3 shots resulted in 3 enemy takedowns in Iraq and Bosnia.The C/D is the model number for the missile, I’ve added both models because they showed two different missile models in the USSOCOM video. The AIM-120 is a BVR (Beyond Visible Range) with active radar-homing capable of striking targets at extreme ranges. Publicly available data puts the range of the AIM-120 listed at around 80 miles. The range numbers can be a little deceiving, you have to take into account that these numbers are based on any number of specific conditions for the enemy and the weapons platform. For a missile like the AIM-120 D model, while it will travel over 100 miles, its effective range is closer to 60-70 miles. 

    F/A-18 Super Hornet loaded with 10 AMRAMM’s.(Murder Hornet configuration)

    None of these weapons are rare, two of them, the SIdewinder and AMRAAM you will find on almost every fighter in the air fleet and the laser JDAM has been used heavily since the 90’s. I’m a little uncertain on exactly how many weapons this plane in the video launched with as the F-35 in its stealth mode can only hold so many weapons, and the B version has a smaller weapons bay than the others because of the lift fan.  The two weapons bays can hold two AMRAAM’s each. I’m guessing here but maybe one JDAM and a sidewinder on one side and then the two AMRAAMS on the other. 

    The F-35 is technically capable of carrying more weapons on outside hard points, however this harms the stealth of the aircraft, giving it a larger radar cross section, or RCS. The idea was to use stealth mode during the opening days of a conflict and then to switch to what the manufacturer, Lockheed Martin calls “Beast mode” that the F-35B can be once air dominance has been achieved. 

    Stealth mode F-35 loaded with two JDAM’s and two AMRAAM’s.
    “Beast Mode” F-35 loaded with six JDAMS, Two AMRAAM’s and Two wingtip Sidewinders.

  • Several NATO nations carry out nuclear exercises.

    US Navy E-6B Mercury refueling from a KC-135 Stratotanker.

    By.Scott Jackson

    09/24/2025

    On the night of September 23-24 both France and the United States carried out separate nuclear exercises. These exercises act as apart of a deterrence strategy aimed at making any potential adversaries think twice about attacking. They also provide real life training for the crews involved preparing them for a day that they hope never happens.

    Some components of these drills were monitored in real time.

    COST43 a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury.

    COST43 the callsign for a U.S. Navy E-6B Mercury, the Airborne Nuclear Command Post and Communications Relay. The jet is seen in the above image heading back to Ramstein AFB, Germany after this mornings nuclear exercise by U.S. Strategic Command (STRATCOM) over Northern Europe.

    (more…)

  • US Navy confirms Trident II test launch.

    By. Scott Jackson

    09/23/2025

    Today the U.S. Navy confirmed the suspected launch of one of its Submarine launched Trident II Life Extension Program (D5LE) Submarine-Launched Ballistic Missile (SLBM) from an Ohio-Class Ballistic Missile Submarine off the east coast of Florida.

    On Sunday September 19th, the night sky in Puerto Rico were lit up as the launch could be seen from the Caribbean island.

    This launch was apart of a preplanned set of launches to evaluate and ensure the continued reliability and accuracy of the system. The navy statement also added that this launch was not done as a response to any ongoing world events. It’s likely the proximity to Venezuela prompted that last part of the statement.

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  • US Navy P-8 Poseidon photographed with something new.

    By. Scott Jackson

    09/15/2025

    The U.S. Navy Boeing P-8 Poseidon has been in service with the United States Navy since 2012 when it replaced the fleets aging and legendary P-3 Orions. The P-8 is a heavily modified version of a Boeing 737-800 passenger airliner. Swapping out the passengers and the passenger comforts with the equipment needed to preform the arduous and often overlooked task of Maritime Patrol and Anti- Submarine Warfare (ASW).

    United States Navy P-8A Poseidon dropping one of its Mark 54 torpedo.

    Featuring advanced sensors for tracking surface ships and submarines, including air-dropped sonar bouys and its AN/APY-10 surface search radar. In addition to detection and tracking systems, the P-8 can carry several weapons. Mostly the MK-54 airdropped torpedoes for ASW work but also the AGM-84 Harpoon Anti-Ship missile. That was until the navy released the photo below showing something new. But back to that in a minute.

    U.S. navy P-8 Poseidon shown with the AGM-158 LRASM.
    United States Navy P-8A Poseidon with a AGM-84D-1 Harpoon missile. The 84D-1 is an upgraded an extended range version of the Harpoon.

    While the Harpoon’s almost 5 decades of service and extensive use in combat shows it is still a very capable weapon, it is outmatched in range by the air defense systems of some of the U.S. adversaries, especially the older models which are mostly if not all being phased out in favor of the II and II +.

    The original Harpoon Block 1 missile has a range of around 80-100 miles.

    The Block II has less range improvements at around 81 miles but was made me for combat around littoral waters so not as much range was needed.

    Block II+ER, the newest generation of the Harpoon in use has a range of around 190-200 miles.

    The Block II and Block II+ER have advanced capabilities added in like improved GPS guidance, and protection from Electronic interference. It’s possible that the Harpoon will still be used in some cases where the range and stealth of the LRASM isn’t needed.

    While the harpoon isnt the United States only anti-ship missile it is the one that was specifically designed for that role. Some other choices include the AGM-84H/K SLAM ER which is kind of a sibling offshoot of the Harpoon and is an air launched land attack missile that can be used to target maritime targets. It has a range of 170 miles.

    Enter the Lockheed Martin’s AGM-158C LRASM.

    A display showing a LRASM and a JASSM

    The AGM-158C is a derivative of the AGM-158B JASSM ER (Joint Air-To-Surface Standoff Missile Extended Range), a low detection air launched cruise missile designed by Lockheed Martin. The JASSM first entered combat striking Syrian government alleged chemical weapons targets in 2018 and more recently striking targets in Yemen.

    The AGM-158C LRASM is a stealth launched anti-ship cruise missile. This integration has been planned for several years now and is giving the P-8 an effective surface weapon that better keeps the aircraft and crew out of harms way. The LRASM can also be used on the B-1 Bomber, the Navy F/A-18’s, and on any non internal pylons on the F-35.

    F-35 test flight with the LRASM. Note, Neither LRASM Or JASSM can be carried internally by the F-35, it has to go on an outside pylon, which takes away some of the stealth of the jet.
    The Rockwell B-1 Lancer carries out an integrated test with the LRASM. Capable of carrying 24 internally, an announced pylon could add 6 more externally.

    The LRASM has an incredibly advanced targeting and navigations suite and even more so for planned upgrades for this missile. The range of the LRASM depends on the block number. These numbers are also mostly estimates and going off of what public data is available, which is limited. The C-1 variant is listed as having a range of greater than around 200 nautical miles, the C-2 is said to be in the +500 miles range and the new C-3 they are working on is rumored to be in the 1000 mile range but is still in development. The C-3 of the future is supposed to be being developed with Artificial Intelligence integration which will allow data links between the missiles and allow them, according to John Keller from Military Aerospace Electronic, `advanced autonomous mission planning, target discrimination, and attack coordination, adjust flight paths based on real-time data, identify and track moving targets, and adapt to changing conditions like jamming and interference.

    Adding this capability to the P-8 allows them to not only detect the enemy but to also engage them with the safety that range gives you.

  • U.S. Navy increases presence in Latin/South American waters in effort to fight drug trafficking coming from Venezuela.

    Map put together by Ian Ellis Jones over on Twitter shows the ships currently moving into the South American region. Some of the locations are true, as of when the image was posted, others are approximate.

    By. Scott Jackson

    08/30/2025

    A look at the recent increase in U.S. forces already in or heading to the Caribbean.

    The U.S. is increasing its presence in the region in an effort, they say, to deal with drug trafficking. This has been a big issue for Washington and is currently causing some tension as the White House called Venezuelan leader Maduro a “Narco-Terrorist” and have made him the main focus of these efforts. Is this a regular drug operation, or something more? For now nobody’s sure.

    So far eight ships and a submarine have been deployed to the 4th fleet/Southern Command [SOCOM] AOR. Making this the largest confrontation between Venezuela and the U.S. in years.

    For Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, this attention only strengthens his goverment hold on the country. The U.S. feels Maduro’s election back in 2013 and 2024 was due to election interference and say his victory was only assured because of ballot stuffing and other types of election fraud. Currently Washington has a $50 million dollar bounty for his arrest on charges of drug trafficking. Maduro’s response to the threat of the U.S. warships steaming towards southern waters was to declare that Venezuela would respond with the activation of 4.5 million militiamen.

    “This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated and armed,” Maduro announced on state television.

    Most believe that this move by Washington is aimed more at a show of force over actual U.S. intervention in the region, but in case it’s not just a well armed navel stroll around the block let’s go over some things.

    Who is Nicolás Maduro?

    Nicolás Maduro speaking to his supporters about the American forces heading towards Venezuela.

    Maduro was born in 1962 and before he was a president he made his money as a bus driver for a long time before rising to become a trade union leader. In 2003 he was elected to the National Assembly and frim there appointed to a number of positions under the then president Hugo Chávez. He served as the president of the National Assembly in 2005-06, and as Minister of Foreign Affairs from 2006-2012. From then on he was Vice President under Hugo Chávez until his death in 2013. After Chávez’s death Maduro assumed the role of president and has stayed in the role ever since. Since then, Maduro has managed to stay in office, consolidating power along the way. The elections the country has run show Maduro winning, however claims of election rigging have run rampant.

    Since Maduro rise to power Venezuela has been forced to endure widespread authoritarian rule marked by rigged elections, human rights abuse and economic hardship. Maduro’s goverment can be characterized by its mass allegations of corruption, the suppression of critical information and poor leadership. Widespread shortages have plagued the country and inflation of its currency, the Bolivar, has skyrocketed, tripling in the last several years. For a country as resource rich as Venezuela is, having one of the largest oil deposits in the world, these problems are inflicted mostly by the actions and policy of their government.

    Demonstrators clash with members of Venezuelan National Guard during a rally demanding a referendum to remove Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro in San Cristobal, Venezuela October 26, 2016. Photo: Carlos Eduardo

    What U.S. assets are being sent to Venezuela?

    For now it seems that the bulk of the forces being mobilized for this operation -whatever it ultimately ends up lmbeing, are from the USS Navy with some help from the Air Force.

    Earlier today radio calls from a USAF RC-135 ‘Rivet Joint’ were recorded as they communicated with the Mcdall tower out in Tampa Fl. The RC-135 was refueling “somewhere over the Caribbean”. This means that the Air Force is doing ELINT missions and gathering data from the region. The Rivet Joint is capable of picking up radar signals from hundreds of miles away as well as other types of electronic surveillance and reconnaissance.

    We also have reports of Navy P-8 Poseidon’s out of San Juan patrolling around the Caribbean several days ago. These planes are mostly used for anti-submarine work but can still be used as spotters for surface ships as well.

    Venezuela has one submarine that might or might not be operational so I don’t see the ASW assets getting all that much use here.

    Ticonderoga-Class launching one of its standard missiles.

    On to the ships. So far 9 ships have been ordered to the area. The most recent of the bunch is the Ticonderoga-Class guided missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG-70) and the Los Angeles-Class fast attack submarine USS Newport News (SSN-750).

    Los Angeles class submarine operating at periscope depth.

    Three of the ships are Arleigh Burke-Class guided missile destroyers. USS Gravley (DDG-107), USS Jason Dunham (DDG-109), and USS Sampson (DDG-102). These ships along with the Lake Erie provide the bulk of the firepower. All of the ships listed so far, including the submarine are capable and likely carrying a number of Tomahawk cruise missiles, among others.

    Arleigh burke-Class destroyers intercepting targets during an exercise

    Last but not least we have the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) a Freedom-Class littoral combat ship. These ships were, according to the navy “envisioned to be a networked, agile, stealthy surface combatant capable of defeating anti-access  and asymmetrical threats in the littorals.” Littorals refers to an area of the sea close to shore. Basically these ships are comparable to what other navies call corvettes.

    Each of the freedom class comes with a hanger for the SH-60 or MH-60 Seahawk, as well as a ramp in the stern for launching smaller boats. These ships are capable of transporting and launching a small assault force with troops and fighting vehicles.

    Image shows the USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul.

    Next is the USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) classified as a Wasp-Class amphibious assault ship and landing helicopter dock.

    USS Iwo Jima (LHD-7) in the Atlantic sometime in 2008.

    This ship carries various aircraft- mostly helicopters, and a lot of Marines as well as their equipment. This ship is essentially a floating marine base of operations capable of transporting them and their equipment into hostile territory and supporting them the AV-8B Harriers until 2027 when most of the assault ships are switching to F-35B’s. I don’t know if the Iwo Jima currently employs harriers or The F-35 currently.

    USS Iwo Jima hiding in the fog.
    Marine Vertical take off F-35B coming in for a landing.

    Moving on to the last two ships on our list we have the USS San Antonio (LPD-17) and the USS Fort Lauderdale (LPD-28) both of which are San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock’s. These ships are similar to the Wasp-class in that they are filled with marines and can be used as a launching point for their operations. They have a hanger for helicopters (or Ospreys) but lack the topside deck for planes.

    Cut-away view of the San Antonio class.
    Artist concept of the San Antonio class.

    These ships are designed as survivable and stealthy transports for ground forces. As shown in the image above they are also designed around the idea of launching the marines hovercraft to quickly transport massive amounts of marines and their equipment to the shores.

  • US Air Force releases report on F-35 crash that took place in Alaska in January.

    By. Scott Jackson

    08/26/2025

    At 12:29PM on January 28th, 2025 a United States Air Force F-35A crashed at Eielson Air Force Base in Alaska. Video released of the incident shows that while on a training flight, the pilot, flying with the 354th Fighter Wing, lost control of his jet and was forced to eject while the jet crashes into the ground moments later.

    Video of the incident. F-35 tail number 19-5535

    The report going over the investigation into this crash came out today and fully explained the cascade of events that caused the crash. The culprit was water that had contaminated the hydraulic fluid for the nose landing gear. This water caused freezing in the hydraulic system and caused the nose gear to not retract properly and left it cantered 17 degrees to the left.The pilot initially on a call with Lockheed Martin engineers and together over the course of an hour efforts were made to fix the nose gear by doing touch and go landings. After the second touch and go landing the struts on both left and right landing gear had ice form around them causing them not to extend after the takeoff. Because of this, the aircraft’s “weight on wheels” sensors showed the aircraft as being on the ground and the plane automatically flipped to on the ground flight controls, while the plane was airborne. The pilot lost control at this point and made the decision to eject as the jet became uncontrollable . The jet crashed to the grounds of Eielson Air Force immediately after the ejection.

    The pilot was treated at the time for minor, non life threatening injuries.

    The crash cost the taxpayers $196,500,000.

    Like to full Air Force report:

    https://www.pacaf.af.mil/Portals/6/documents/3_AIB%20Report.pdf?ver=z-QJglR9Qm7slupMlo6zeA%3d%3d

  • First look at the Ukrainian produced ‘Flamingo’ cruise missile.

    By. Scott Jackson

    08/25/2025

    On August 17th, Ukraine’s Yefrem Lukatsky a well known AP photojournalist released images showing the production of Ukraines previously unannounced, ground- launched, long ranged cruise missile, the FP-5 ‘Flamingo’. This Ukrainian produced cruise missile could become a strong contender for Ukraine’s most effective long range weapon systems.

    The Flamingo is designed and built by Ukrainian defense company Fire Point. According to, the missile has a six meter wingspan and a takeoff weight of 13,000 lbs on takeoff. The payload capacity is 1,150 lbs. Its publicly started range is 1865 miles.

    A look at the tail of the missile showing the engine on top of the weapon, much like designs from the 50s-60s

    “We came up with it pretty fast. It took less than nine months to develop it from an idea to its first successful tests on the battlefield. I will not tell you about its exact speed, but I can say it’s faster than all the other missiles we currently have,” said Iryna Terekh the company’s CEO while adding adding: “It is completely Ukrainian-made.

    The missile is already casing a stir in Russia, the state run agency TASS put out an article last week downplaying the threat posed by this missile. The article also tried to undercut the Ukrainian achievement by saying the missile was from a British design, which the Ukrainian company Fire Point denies. However the impact of the missile is already being felt on the battlefield.

    “We watched Russian reaction to our first missions and I can tell you the more successful the mission was, the more Russians tried to choke all publicity around it,”Terekh said.

    The missile is already in production making several units a day. The company claims they can make that 200 a day by the end of the year.

    With the number Ukraine’s Fire point company is planning to make along with the range this weapons could vastly shift the course of this war, putting a good percentage of Russia industries, both defense and civilian into range of Ukraines new missiles.