U.S. Southern Command is reportedly tightening Thanksgiving and Christmas leave schedules as the Pentagon considers potential land strikes on Venezuela in the next 10 to 14 days. The move comes as the United States continues to increase pressure on Nicolás Maduro.
Multiple outlets, including The Telegraph, highlighted the reporting out of Washington. SOUTHCOM pushed back, saying the leave limits reflect routine readiness requirements and are not tied to any immediate operation.
However, the denial lands alongside a new Federal Aviation Administration Notice to Airmen issued earlier this week. The FAA warning cites rising hazards in Venezuelan airspace caused by increased satellite navigation interference and ongoing military activity. The notice covers the Maiquetía Flight Information Region, which includes Venezuela’s national territory and parts of the southern Caribbean, and now requires U.S. operators to file flight plans 72 hours in advance. The move follows President Trump’s authorization of expanded CIA covert activity targeting the region.
The timing of the FAA alert, coming just hours before reports of possible land strikes, has fueled speculation that the administration is positioning forces for a broader campaign. That suspicion only grew after Gen. Dan Caine, the U.S. military’s top-ranking officer, made a high-profile visit to SOUTHCOM on Monday.
Cameron Henderson from The Telegraph has further insights:
Gen Caine is one of the architects of Operation Southern Spear, the largest build-up of American military force in the region since the Cuban Missile Crisis, designed to stop the flow of drugs, including fentanyl, into the US.
The USS Gerald R Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, arrived in the Caribbean last week along with its strike group, meaning the US has amassed more than a dozen warships, a nuclear submarine and 15,000 troops in the region.
The stated reason for Gen Caine’s trip is to thank troops for their service ahead of Thanksgiving on Thursday.
However, he is also expected to consult with commanders about the armada’s preparations, sources told The New York Times.
A major pillar of Trump’s Latin America strategy in his second term involves labeling major drug cartels as foreign terrorist organizations. That designation provides added legal justification for operations across the Caribbean Sea and the Eastern Pacific. Since September, U.S. forces have carried out more than twenty strikes on vessels suspected of trafficking drugs from Venezuela, killing at least 83 individuals believed to be involved.
Operation Southern Spear now includes more than a dozen warships in the Caribbean, along with repeated hits on maritime drug-smuggling routes.
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Mr. President: It is OK for you to bomb Venezuelan, Columbian, and Mexican illegal drug loaded boats off shore on their way to unload in the US. Also OK to bomb illegal drug processing sites in Venezuela, Columbia, and Mexico, but not OK to launch a general war against these nations . Make them allies in the war on illegal drugs. Do NOT make them enemies of the US. If you do the latter Mr. President, the Republicans will loose the 2026 Mid-Term big time, and the Republicans will loose the 2028 presidential election – guaranteed, and history will remember YOU for destroying the Republican Party.
Mr. President, please do not wipe out all support for us Republican voters.
This is NOT a duplicate statement, so please accept this, do not reject it:
Mr. President: It is OK for you to bomb Venezuelan, Columbian, and Mexican illegal drug loaded boats off shore on their way to unload in the US. Also OK to bomb illegal drug processing sites in Venezuela, Columbia, and Mexico, but not OK to launch a general war against these nations . Make them allies in the war on illegal drugs. Do NOT make them enemies of the US. If you do the latter Mr. President, the Republicans will loose the 2026 Mid-Term big time, and the Republicans will loose the 2028 presidential election – guaranteed, and history will remember YOU for destroying the Republican Party.
Mr. President, please do not wipe out all support for us Republican voters.
What happened, I thought someone said he was the only president in recent history that didn’t start a war.
Thanks to the powers that be for finally having DoW (DoD) leadership focused on repairing the significant damage during the Bush, Obama and Biden administrations. Finally, an understanding that the military is not and should not be armed Social Workers nor Nation Builders pro se. It (the US military) exists to protect and defend American interests and not to be the policeman nor the bank of the world. With respect and vigilance, Friends to all, enemies to none and a sturdy shield for defending our borders, sovereignty and resisting all enemies both foreign and domestic, all within the construct and confines of the US Constitution. It should also be noted what President George Washington said as he was leaving office! Wise words for our nation to live by!