October 2019

Hundreds of Russian Mercenaries Now in Venezuela, US Admiral Says by Richard Sisk of Military.com

Hundreds of Russian mercenaries are in Venezuela to prop up the "illegitimate regime" of President Nicolas Maduro, who has announced his intention to go to North Korea to break out of the isolation imposed by the U.S. and its allies, Adm. Craig Faller, head of U.S. Southern Command, said Friday at a breakfast with reporters in Washington, D.C.

"Certainly strange friends," Faller said of the recent expressions of mutual support between Maduro and North Korean leader Kim Jong Un, "but it would not surprise me and we are concerned about that relationship."

"Very soon, we will go soon" to North Korea to meet with Kim on military and economic cooperation, Maduro said on Venezuelan state TV Wednesday. His announcement followed on a visit last month by a Venezuelan delegation to North Korea.

The outreach to North Korea fit a pattern in Maduro's efforts to maintain power, Faller said. Those efforts have continued despite the internal corruption of Maduro's regime and crippling sanctions imposed by the U.S. that have forced an estimated four million Venezuelans to flee the country.

The Trump administration has backed opposition leader Juan Guaidó, and recognized him as the legitimate president, but Maduro has remained in office with support from Russia, Cuba, China, Iran and now, it seems, North Korea, Faller said.

"Russia, China and Iran -- they're there, they're present, and they're working for their national interests in ways that are counter to long-term stability of the region," Faller said. "Russia, I'm convinced, is out to make the United States look bad [in South America] at every turn of the corner."

China has focused on spreading economic influence in Latin America and worldwide, Faller said, and the "future of this globe depends on how we can reconcile that competition.

"But right now, in this hemisphere, that competition is strong, and in the area of values and access and influence it borders on conflict," he said.

Southern Command has limited capabilities, but is working with regional partners to counter "what Maduro's done in his country, how he's driven it into the ground with his cronies along with the interventionist assistance of Russia, China, Iran," Faller said. "And now we see liaison with North Korea."

To back Maduro, Russia has "deployed nuclear-capable bombers" for fly-bys in the region, and Russia has "deployed their most advanced warship that's capable of firing nuclear cruise missiles," Faller said.

He referred to a June visit to the region of the guided-missile frigate Admiral Gorshkov, which made a port stop in Cuba.

In addition, there are hundreds of Russian mercenaries in Venezuela, along with a "significant amount of Russian arms and Russian arms support," Faller said.

"The palace guard around Maduro is Cuban, nearly 100% of the presidential guard are now Cuban, so there's thousands of Cubans and hundreds of Russians" in Venezuela, Faller said.

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.

Original article can be found here.

Most Sealift Vessels Measured Up in 32-Ship ‘Pressure Test,’ Army General Says by Otto Kreisher of Seapower Magazine

Most of the ships mobilized in a severe “stress test” of the Maritime Administration’s and Military Sealift Command’s ability to get their aged fleets under way in a crisis did “pretty well,” but the commander of the U.S. Transportation Command wants to accelerate the programs to modernize that crucial force.

“If it were up to me, we’d be doing it faster,” and he discussed that objective with Navy Secretary Richard V. Spencer, Army Gen. Stephen R. Lyons, commander of U.S. Transportation Command, said Oct. 2.

“We’re in the process of working with the Navy.”

In late September with little advance notice, MARAD and MSC mobilized 32 of their transport and support ships from both the forces normally on alert status and those in the Ready Reserve, which take more time and effort to get under way.

The exercise was a test of the capability of ships that are considered ancient by commercial standards and the availability of civilian mariners qualified to operate such ships, which include some of the last steam-powered vessels in the world. Independent analysts and some Navy officers have warned that the aged vessels and the declining numbers of qualified mariners could hobble the Navy’s ability to transport and sustain forces committed to an overseas conflict.

Of the 32 ships activated, “I would say most of them did pretty well. We’re waiting for final results. But in terms of sea trials, initial reporting, it was in the 80% to 85% range” of activating ships to task, Lyons told a Defense Writers breakfast. “Of those 32 ships, the average is 43 years old. In commercial industry it’s about 15.”

He added: “It was a great pressure test. We’ll look at the numbers, also get the quality assessment” in a detailed report that could be available by the end of October.

Asked if he was making any progress on the three-tiered program Congress has approved to modernize the sealift and prepositioning fleets — by upgrading the newest ships, building some new ones and buying a lot of used commercial ships — Lyons said “yes,” but he wants to accelerate the effort.

“What I’d like to do in the authorization to acquire used vessels is to accelerate that. … I know there is work now at the [Navy] Department to fund the seven,” which include two new and five used. “I’m pushing to accelerate. The Navy program now needs to be plussed up. … But the secretary and others are in favor of finding the money.”

Lyons also expressed concern with the progress on efforts to solve a far different problem that has drawn widespread criticism from Congress and service families — the perpetual failure of commercial movers hired by the services to get household goods from one home to another in a reasonable time and in good condition.

The command issued a request for proposals two weeks ago and has gotten a lot of interest from firms willing to take on what would be a nationwide contract to provide the tens of thousands of household moves every year, Lyons said. The major failure in the existing program was the inability to hold contractors accountable and to lack of a national system with common standards and the ability to inform managers in different regions of a poor performing contractor elsewhere.

“Inside the Department, we don’t have clear lines to hold them accountable for delivering the service. … And most of all, we have to have a consistent pattern of quality of delivery,” he said.

Original article can be found here.

Month: October 2019

Admiral Craig S. Faller, Commander – U.S. Southern Command

Hundreds of Russian Mercenaries Now in Venezuela, US Admiral Says by Richard Sisk of Military.com

General Steven R. Lyons, Commander – U.S. Transportation Command

Most Sealift Vessels Measured Up in 32-Ship ‘Pressure Test,’ Army General Says by Otto Kreisher of Seapower Magazine