Venezuela -- Strategic Center of Gravity

Most Americans have less than the foggiest idea regarding reasoning for the current military buildup and actions in the vicinity of Venezuela.  

Allow the Colonel to provide some atmospheric clearing.

The Colonel believes that the Trump 47 Administration has identified Venezuela as the strategic center of gravity for not only the Unites States' reassertion of Western Hemispheric dominance, but also as a key linkage to placing significant pressure (economic, political, and humanitarian) on competitors around the globe.  

The U.S. Government's latest National Security Strategy document, published in early December of 2025 contained what is colloquially referred to as the Trump Corollary to the 200 (plus) year-old Monroe Doctrine: 

"We will deny non-Hemispheric competitors the ability to position forces or other threatening capabilities or to own or control strategically vital assets in our Hemisphere."

So, why does this place the crosshairs on Venezuela? 

The answer to that question requires an at least cursory understanding of the history and geography of Venezuela.  And, because we don't properly teach history and geography in our schools anymore, very few Americans under the age of 60 can even point to Venezuela on a map, let alone describe its major resources.

So, quickly, Venezuela sits on the Eastern shoulder of the South American continent (it's western neighbor, Columbia sits on the other shoulder). In land area, Venezuela is the sixth largest country in South America with the fifth largest population (slightly less than 30 million).  

Based on the above alone it's hard to see why Venezuela is so important. So let's look a little deeper..., like underground deeper.  Turns out that Venezuela sits atop the largest proven crude oil reserves on the planet -- 303 billion (with a B) barrels worth. 

At one point in it's recent history, Venezuelans were the richest people per capita in the hemisphere.

And, then, socialists took over. Hugo Chavez and his successor, Nicolas Maduro instituted a socialist kleptocracy which, instead of "taking care of the people" (as all socialist regimes claim as their raison detre) quickly bankrupted and impoverished a once thriving population (as all socialist dictatorships do) and forced a diaspora of a significant portion of Venezuelans, fleeing the ruins.    

Not only did Chavez and Maduro impoverish Venezuela, but they aligned themselves with a veritable litany of worldwide bad actors -- Russia, China, Iran (and terrorist proxies), and Cuba -- none of whom hold anything but ill will toward the United States and the rest of the freedom-loving people throughout the hemisphere. 

In short, Venezuela has become a base for enemies of all Americans -- North and South.

Oh, and by the way, Venezuela has been threatening invasion of its southeastern neighbor -- Guyana.  Why? Turns out Guyana sits on the same pool of crude oil.  Guyana is an ally of the United States and very open to our development of its oil resource infrastructure. 

Oil money lines the pockets of Maduro and his cronies, but drug money (primarily cocaine) feathers their nests. Venezuela is a critical transshipment corridor for cocaine originating in its neighbors -- primarily Columbia and Peru (both of whom have their own corrupt kleptocracies beholden to cartels).

Maduro was soundly defeated in the last "democratic" elections held in Venezuela, but refused to accept the results and remains in power -- against the overwhelming will of the people. (Another typical result of socialism.)

So, using Maduro's indictment in a US Court on drug offenses as pretext, the Trump 47 Administration has begun a pressure campaign against him -- kinetically interdicting his regime's drug boats and seizing outlaw tankers carrying his oil.

You could argue that the United States is "bullying" its way around the hemisphere -- interfering in the affairs of sovereign nations.  Okay.  But, who would you rather see asserting influence in the region -- the United States, or our competitors/adversaries?  Our neglect invites adversarial attention.      

Enemies of the United States and its allies in the hemisphere and globally are the chief beneficiaries of the Venezuelan oil and drug trade.  With agents present within the halls of the Maduro regime, terror outfits like Hezbollah, Hamas, and ISIS are siphoning significant funding for their activities.  Cutting off that funding paves the way for peace in many places throughout the Middle East and Africa.  

One particular thorn in our side, the socialist regime in Cuba, relies for its survival on black market Venezuelan oil and drug transshipment money.  If Venezuelan oil and drug-running money doesn't resume reaching Cuba soon, that socialist totalitarian regime may fall -- finally.  

When the Maduro and Neo-Castro regimes are replaced with governments far more friendly to the United States and (more importantly) to the suffering Venezuelan and Cuban people, the refreshing effects will sweep through the remainder of the hemisphere like a cold front at the end of September in Mississippi. The regional economic boom alone from the capitalization of Venezuelan crude will rival, even eclipse, the miraculous modernization of the Persian Gulf oil sheikdoms -- Venezuela and Guyana have more oil.   

Venezuela is the key -- the center of gravity upon which all of the United States' current grand strategy rests.