Venezuela Update

[swerve]

One patrol vessel with a 30mm gun is a threat to Venezuela . . . . that's comical. Maduro is saying that the Venezuelan armed forces are the most incompetent & ineffectual in the world.

 

[Sandhi Yudha]

One patrol vessel with a 30mm gun is a threat to Venezuela . . . . that's comical. Maduro is saying that the Venezuelan armed forces are the most incompetent & ineffectual in the world.

Don't forget that the HMS Trent P224 also has two riggid hull inflatable boats on board, which they undoubtly will use to invade Venezuela. Combined with the enormous amount of heavy offensive armament this warship possess, the HMS Trent is absolutely a direct threat to the existence of Venezuela.

 

[StobieWan]

One patrol vessel with a 30mm gun is a threat to Venezuela . . . . that's comical. Maduro is saying that the Venezuelan armed forces are the most incompetent & ineffectual in the world.

Unless she makes port and they go for a run ashore, in which case the bars will be on their ends and women of easily negotiable virtue will be being used as defensive aids.

Honestly. you'd think they'd not make so much of a fuss.

 

[Feanor]

One patrol vessel with a 30mm gun is a threat to Venezuela . . . . that's comical. Maduro is saying that the Venezuelan armed forces are the most incompetent & ineffectual in the world.

I suspect he understands the political significance of the gesture and that's what he's referring to. Let's say for argument's sake that Venezuela can sink that patrol vessel with minimal effort. This is likely to be true given their Su-30MKV fleet but of course whether they purchased the necessary missiles, trained for maritime strike, and have them in working order is a question. What would be the effect of Venezuela sinking this ship? That's the threat. And let's not forget, while there has been much grandstanding and demand-making, Venezuela doesn't appear to actually be moving on the territory. So making a mountain out of a molehill by reacting dramatically to the presence of a patrol ship would be completely logical. The purpose isn't to really provide the public with an assessment of the situation. The purpose is to make noise about it. Noise has been made, the purpose has presumably been achieved (though of course that depends on internal reaction, I'm not up to speed on Venezuela domestic politics).

 

[Rob c]

HMS Trent is a symbolic show of support for Guyana without any threat being shown towards Venezuela, I think a clever move, however should Venezuela show any aggressions towards the Trent, when it is going about its lawful duties, that changes everything as it brings the UK into play and I think that the Venezuelan government would know this, hence the over the top rhetoric, which is most probably aimed at the domestic audience.
Should the Venezuelan Navy show up in any disputed area and HMS Tent also shows up it will make life difficult politically for the Venezuelans.

 

[Todjaeger]

HMS Trent is a symbolic show of support for Guyana without any threat being shown towards Venezuela, I think a clever move, however should Venezuela show any aggressions towards the Trent, when it is going about its lawful duties, that changes everything as it brings the UK into play and I think that the Venezuelan government would know this, hence the over the top rhetoric, which is most probably aimed at the domestic audience.
Should the Venezuelan Navy show up in any disputed area and HMS Tent also shows up it will make life difficult politically for the Venezuelans.

I agree that the noise (hubris might be more accurate) from Venezuela is for domestic consumption. Aside from the combat capabilities of Batch 2 River-class OPV's, what is coming from the Maduro gov't also ignores that the fact the RN and/or RFA has had vessels deployed to the Caribbean conducting patrols to reassure Commonwealth nations and British Overseas Territories in the region for years.