With The Crisis Escalating In Venezuela, Is The U.S. Prepared To Deploy 5,000 Soldiers To Colombia?

CNN: White House not tamping down tensions after Bolton seen holding notepad with words '5000 troops to Colombia'

(CNN)The White House is not tamping down tensions after national security adviser John Bolton was seen Monday holding a yellow legal pad inscribed with the words "5000 troops to Colombia."

"As the President has said, all options are on the table," a White House spokesman said when asked for an explanation of the notes, which were seen during a briefing with reporters about new sanctions on Venezuela.

President Donald Trump has refused to rule out military options in Venezuela as the administration ramps up pressure on the country's ruler, Nicolás Maduro.

Read more ....

WNU Editor: You will know the U.S. is serious about a military option on Venezuela when they deploy tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers to Colombia and surrounding countries. One or two aircraft carrier strike groups. A large number of Marines. A number of aircraft squadrons. And a diplomatic push among Latin American nations to get them involved in the planning of a military strike against the regime of Venezuelan President Maduro. But so far I do not see that. What I see is a note that says "5000 troops to Colombia".

More News On National Security Adviser John Bolton's Memo Stating That 5000 U.S. Soldiers May Be Deployed To Colombia

Bolton's notepad reveals Trump is considering sending 5,000 troops to Colombia amid Venezuela crisis -- Business Insider
US security chief John Bolton’s notepad says ‘5,000 troops to Colombia’, hinting at secret US military option for Venezuela -- SCMP/AFP
John Bolton's notes on '5,000 troops to Colombia' spark speculation about military intervention in Venezuela -- USA Today
Bolton seen holding legal pad with "5,000 troops to Colombia" written on it -- CBS
Bolton's notepad stirs questions over White House plans in Venezuela -- The Hill
John Bolton's written note on 'troops to Colombia' raises eyebrows -- FOX News
Hint to Maduro? ‘5,000 Troops to Colombia,' Reads Bolton Notepad -- Bloomberg

U.S. Navy Hospital Ship Deployed To Assist Venezuelan Refugees

The Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Comfort (T-AH 20) is anchored near Port-au-Prince supporting Continuing Promise 2009, a humanitarian and civic assistance mission to Latin America and the Caribbean. (U.S. Army photo by Spc. Landon Stephenson/Released)

The Guardian: US navy hospital ship stokes tensions by giving Venezuelan refugees free care

USNS Comfort, moored off Colombia, will help patients as pressure builds on relationship between Washington and Caracas

A US navy hospital ship moored off Colombia has started giving free medical care to Venezuelan refugees, in a move likely to rile officials in Caracas who deny the existence of a humanitarian crisis in their own country – and have long been suspicious of the close relationship between Colombia and the US.

As well as treating Colombians, US medical teams aboard the USNS Comfort will attend to Venezuelan refugees, particularly at the ship’s next stop in Riohacha, a city near the border between the two countries.

Some 3 million Venezuelans have fled political turmoil and economic hardship at home, including 1 million who have taken shelter in Colombia, which has struggled to deal with the exodus.

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WNU Editor: Three million Venezuelans have fled their country. And while the Venezuelan government is claiming that there is no crisis, I am sure there are many among those who have fled who need medical attention, and the deployment of the USNS Comfort is welcomed relief.

U.S. Secretary Of State Kerry Will Meet Members From Colombia's Marxist FARC Guerillas In Havana

John Kerry (Image credit: State Department)

The Telegraph/Reuters: Colombia's Farc rebels 'to meet Kerry in Cuba during Obama trip'

Marxist guerrillas, designated a foreign terrorist organisation by US in 1997, are close to reaching peace deal with government in talks hosted by Havana.

Members of Colombia's Marxist Farc guerrillas will meet John Kerry, US Secretary of State, a negotiator for the rebels and two Colombian sources with knowledge of the peace talks said on Sunday.

A meeting with Mr Kerry will be the first time a secretary of state has met the negotiators from the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, who have been talking peace with the Colombian government in Havana for more than three years.

A source at Colombia's Office of the High Commissioner for Peace and another source close to the government confirmed the meeting and said it would take place on Monday.

Read more ....

Update #1: US Secretary of State John Kerry to meet FARC guerillas in Cuba (DW)
Update #2: Kerry to meet with Colombia’s FARC rebels in Cuba on Monday: Report (Colombia Reports)

WNU Editor: Here is an easy prediction .... US Secretary of State Kerry will make no mention of FARC's involvement in this .... Army seizes 762 kilos of cocaine in southwestern Colombia (FOX News)

How The CIA Helped Colombia Cripple The Rebel Movement FARC

(Click on Image to Enlarge)

Sources: U.S. State Department, Pais Libre, Colombian Defense Ministry and the Air Force. Research and data compiled by Elyssa Pachico. Graphic by Cristina Rivero. Map by Gene Thorp.

Covert Action In Colombia -- Dana Priest, Washington Post

U.S. intelligence, GPS bomb kits help Latin American nation cripple rebel forces

The 50-year-old Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC), once considered the best-funded insurgency in the world, is at its smallest and most vulnerable state in decades, due in part to a CIA covert action program that has helped Colombian forces kill at least two dozen rebel leaders, according to interviews with more than 30 former and current U.S. and Colombian officials.

The secret assistance, which also includes substantial eavesdropping help from the National Security Agency, is funded through a multibillion-dollar black budget. It is not a part of the public $9 billion package of mostly U.S. military aid called Plan Colombia, which began in 2000.

Read more ....

Update: Secret CIA Operation Killed Two Dozen Colombian Rebel Leaders

My Comment: The CIA's operation was effective because they did not only pinpoint where the FARC leadership was hiding (via through NSA communications intercepts) .... but they gave the tools to the Colombian military to take them out. It would not surprise me if this CIA covert operation will become a case study in the CIA and elsewhere on how to cripple a rebel insurgency.

What It Is Like To Fight The Drug War In Colombia

The U.S. is looking for Luis Albeiro Peña-Peña,
although he has reportedly been killed. IC

Identity revealed, life of U.S. agent spared in Colombia -- Miami Herald

A U.S. Immigration and Customs agent escaped a harrowing kidnapping saga in Colombia after his identity was revealed.

Luis Angel Ortiz was being driven to a party in Medellín when the car came to a halt and a man in the back seat put a gun to his head.

Time to pay up, Ortiz was told.

The threat came from the chief of a Medellín drug trafficking gang.

So began a 48-hour drama in Colombia that kept Ortiz -- a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent who had infiltrated the gang -- teetering on the edge of death.

But Ortiz escaped execution when his captors discovered that he was an American antidrug agent.

Read more ....

My Comment: A lot in this story seems to be too good to be true .... but even if 50% is correct, a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agent working in Colombia must be one of the most difficult (and dangerous) jobs around.

US, Colombia Sign Pact To Expand US Use Of Bases

Colombia And US Sign Controversial Military Pact -- Colombia Reports

Colombia and the United States on Friday signed a military pact that allows the U.S. to use seven military bases in the Andean country. The treaty will now be sent to U.S. Congress for ratification. Colombia's Congress will not have the possibility to ammend the pact.

The pact is controversial as neighboring countries like Venezuela and Ecuador consider an increase of U.S. military influence in the reion a threat to their countries' sovereignty.

Read more ....

More News On The Signing Of The U.S. - Colombian Base Agreement

US, Colombia sign pact to expand US use of bases -- AP
Colombia grants US access to military bases -- AFP
Colombia and US sign bases deal -- BBC
Colombia agrees deal to step up US military presence -- The Guardian
U.S., Colombia Sign Military Bases Agreement -- TRR News
Colombia Signs Accord With U.S. for Military Bases -- Bloomberg

U.S.-Colombia Pact Causes Stir Among Neighbors

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez speaks at the UNASUR summit as his Foreign Minister Nicolas Maduro looks on in San Carlos de Bariloche, Argentina, Friday, Aug. 28, 2009. Miraflores Press Office / AP

From Time Magazine:

If there is, or should be, one rule of U.S. Latin America policy today, it is this: Don't give Hugo Chávez a freebie. Avoid handing the leftist Venezuelan President a reason to sound an alarm against yanqui aggression in the western hemisphere. Chavez's reputation in Washington may be that of an oil-rich populist demagogue whose default political strategy is gratuitous anti-Americanism. But his rants often strike a chord with his more moderate counterparts in Latin America, whose decibel levels are lower but whose anxieties about U.S. designs in their region are still high.

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My Comment: My prediction .... this issue will be dead by next month. When the U.S. had similar agreements with Ecuador and Bolivia there was never any opposition or media coverage. There is one now because of Venezuela's Chavez temperament and character. Next month there will be another issue or event that will divert his attention.

U.S. - Colombian Base Agreement To Be Discussed At Summit

US Use Of Colombian Bases To Stir Row At Summit -- AFP

SAO PAULO — A summit of South American presidents to be held on Friday is in danger of sliding into an acriminous row over the US military's plan to use bases in Colombia.

The lead-up to the meeting, in Argentina's ski resort town of Bariloche, has been marked by sharp exchanges between Colombia and the main critic of the plan, Venezuela, with the rest of the region and the United States adding their voices.

At the center of the storm are seven bases the United States is on the verge of signing an access deal over with the Colombian government.

Read more ....

More News On The Fallout From The Colombian - U.S. Base Agreement

US-Colombia deal a pretext for military spending -- AP
Chavez Warns of Impending Rupture with Colombia -- Latin American Herald Tribune
Uproar In South America Over U.S. Base Deal -- NPR
Chavez 'regrets' tensions with Colombia -- Colombia Reports
Colombian senator tells Chavez: 'Open Your Eyes!' -- Reuters

South American Governments Unhappy With U.S./Colombian Anti-Narcotics Ops

Presidents Álvaro Uribe of Colombia, left, and Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil met for more than two hours this week. Eraldo Peres/Associated Press

Colombia Under Fire From Neighbors Over US ‘Military Aggression’ -- Times Online

It is the cocaine deal that threatens to divide a continent. President Uribe of Colombia has brought stability to his country by crushing the Farc guerrilla movement, but much of his drug eradication effort has been a failure.

The Latin American leader has now asked Washington to step in, inviting US forces into Colombian military bases to run operations against the country’s still-thriving narcotics industry.

He is to sign a plan with the United States allowing it to use seven Colombian military bases to counter trafficking and the paramilitary activity it finances. The deal suits Washington, which wants to use Colombia, one of its few remaining allies in Latin America, as a regional operations hub.

Read more ....

More News On Colombia's Decision To Permit U.S. Anti-Narcotics Agents In Their Country

Colombia President, on South America Tour, Defends U.S. Military Role -- New York Times
U.S. Plan Raises Ire in Latin America -- Washington Post
Obama denies US creating military bases in Colombia -- Reuters
Chávez rages at US plan to boost antidrug ops in Colombia -- Christian Science Monitor
Bolivia in Colombia betrayal jibe -- BBC
US bases shock Latin America -- The Age

Is There A U.S.Military Buildup In Colombia?

Colombia Tries To Calm Regional Nerves On U.S. Army -- Reuters

LIMA, Aug 4 (Reuters) - Colombia's president tried to rally support on Tuesday for putting more U.S. troops in his country to combat drug-running guerrillas, though regional leftist leaders fear his plan could hurt stability in South America.

Alvaro Uribe, Washington's main ally in the region, is working to reach a deal this month with the United States to let it relocate its drug interdiction flight operations to Colombia after it was kicked out of neighboring Ecuador.

Read more ....

Update #1: US official vows 'good explanation' for Colombia bases -- AFP

Update #2: Brazil sees no threat from U.S. military bases in Colombia -- China View

My Comment: Everyone is expressing concern over a few hundred U.S. soldiers scattered around at a few Colombian military bases.

While everyone is focused on this non-story .... the following big story is ignored .... Russia, Venezuela discuss nuclear research reactor plans.

U.S. And Colombian Military Cooperation Now Extends To Afghanistan

Colombian special forces soldiers rappel during a demonstration for visiting U.S. Secretary of Defense Robert M. Gates (not pictured) Oct. 3, 2007, at the Tolemaida military base in Colombia. Mauricio Duenas/Getty Images

Colombia To Aid U.S. In Fight Against Taliban -- CBS

COLOMBIA (CBS) ― U.S. forces are about to get some much-needed help as they fight the Taliban in Afghanistan, CBS News reports. U.S.-trained Colombian commandos could join U.S. troops in Afghanistan as soon as August, according to Gen. Freddy Padilla de Leon, Colombia's top military man.

"We don't have secrets -- we are a very open book," Padilla said of the relationship between Colombia and U.S. Special Forces.

Ten years ago, a group of leftist guerillas knows as the FARC ruled the country via a pernicious drug trade. The U.S. Green Berets worked to turn Colombia's best soldiers into an organized special operations force with the goal of fighting the FARC and the drug war.

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My Comment: On the one hand this is a surprising move. There are no interests for Colombia in Afghanistan ... none. But on the other hand this illustrates the close political/military relationship that has been forming between the two countries for the past few years. Colombia is helping an ally .... which in this context becomes understandable.

On the Latin American scene, this is going to be a shock for some of the countries in this region. How this will play will be amusing to watch.

Colombia Backs Plan For Increased U.S. Military Aid

From Reuters:

BOGOTA (Reuters) - Colombian President Alvaro Uribe on Monday defended a plan, criticized by regional leftist leaders, to allow more U.S. troops in the country, saying that aid from Washington is helping Colombia beat Marxist rebels.

Uribe is negotiating a deal with the United States to increase anti-narcotics operations in the country. The talks follow Ecuador's decision to end a program in which Washington used an air base there for anti-drug flights.

"The plan is to strengthen Colombian military bases, not to open American bases in Colombia," Uribe said. "The accord is meant to help Colombians regain their right to live in peace."

Read more ....

More News On U.S./Colombian Military Cooperation

US switches cocaine air bases to Columbia -- Sydney Morning Herald
U.S. Close to Deal With Colombia on Base Access -- New York Times
Colombia-US air base deal 'close' -- BBC
U.S., Colombia work on deal for air bases -- L.A. Times
Chavez to 'revise' ties with Colombia -- AFP
Chavez Puts Ties With Colombia Under Review Over U.S. Base Deal -- Bloomberg
Colombia should welcome the US base deal -- Colombia Reports
US also interested in navy bases in Colombia -- Colombia Reports

Washington, Colombia Near Deal On Base Access

From AP:

BOGOTA (AP) — The United States and Colombia are nearing agreement on expanding the U.S. military's presence in this conflict-torn nation, likely basing several hundred Americans in a central valley in support of Air Force drug interdiction missions.

Both sides say they hope a fifth round of talks slated for later this month in Bogota will seal a 10-year lease deal.

Opponents worry a broadened U.S. military role in the world's No. 1 cocaine-producing nation could antagonize Colombia's leftist neighbors and draw Washington deeper into Colombia's complicated, long-running conflict involving leftist rebels and right-wing paramilitaries.

Most details of the negotiations are secret, but senior Colombian military and civilian officials familiar with negotiations told The Associated Press that the idea is to make Colombia a regional hub for Pentagon operations.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a drastic change in U.S. policy in South America. It will definitely put the U.S. in the middle of Colombia's war against FARC, and it will definitely make Colombia's leftist neighbors like Ecuador and Venezuela very nervous.

Five Colombian Bases to Host U.S. Military, Magazine Says

From Latin American Herald:

BOGOTA – A soon-to-be-signed, 10-year bilateral cooperation pact will give U.S. military personnel the right to operate from five bases in Colombia, the newsweekly Cambio reported Thursday.

The United States is seeking basing rights in Colombia because Ecuador declined to renew an accord allowing Washington to coordinate drug-interdiction efforts from the Manta airbase on the Andean nation’s Pacific coast.

Colombia’s three main airbases: Palanquero, in the central part of the country; Alberto Pouwels, in the north, and Apiay, in the south, will play host to U.S. units, according to the Bogota-based magazine.

The U.S. military will also have access to the Colombian naval bases at Cartagena, on the Caribbean, and Malaga, located on the Pacific.

Read more ....

My Comment: This is a major escalation of U.S. military involvement in Latin America. With political instability rising throughout the region, and with cartel drug wars spiraling out of control, expect more cooperation and involvement in the future.