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| Caribbean-Latin America | |
| U.S. officials raise alarm about new Venezuelan missiles | |
| 2009-06-02 | |
| Venezuela's recent purchase of the most lethal shoulder-fired anti-aircraft missiles in the Russian arsenal is sharpening U.S. concerns that parts of President Hugo Chávez's massive weapons buildup could wind up in the hands of terrorists or guerrillas in neighboring Colombia. Washington's unease is well-founded, U.S. government officials say, because of credible evidence that three top Venezuelan officials offered Colombia's FARC rebels weapons, money and contacts to buy anti-aircraft missiles in 2007. Such missiles in the hands of the FARC would mark a steep escalation of the 45-year-old conflict in Colombia, where government forces in recent years have deployed a fleet of slow-moving ground-attack warplanes and U.S.-built helicopters to deal devastating blows to rebel jungle camps.
Financed by high oil prices, Chávez has been on a weapons-buying binge since 2006, purchasing more than $4 billion worth of Russian Sukhoi jets, Mi helicopters and 100,000 Kalashnikov assault rifles for what he says is the professionalization of his 62,000-member armed forces and the defense of his ''socialist revolution'' from U.S. aggression. U.S. officials have long voiced concerns about the weapons buildup. ''I can't imagine what's going to happen to those 100,000 [Kalashnikovs] and I can't imagine that if it did happen, that it would be good for the hemisphere,'' then-Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld said in 2005. But the purchase of the SA-24 man-portable missiles -- the most sophisticated version manufactured in Russia -- spiked U.S. anxiety. The missile and launcher weigh just 42 pounds, can hit targets flying at up to 19,500 feet, employ a ''fire and forget'' system that is highly resistant to countermeasures, has night-vision capability and is easy to maintain, U.S. military experts said. Previously, Venezuela only had pedestal-mounted Swedish RBS-70 and French Mistral surface-to-air missiles. | |
| Posted by:Steve White |
| #4 Beso, judging from where the wreckage was found I expect the Air France jetliner was well above the 19,500' ceiling of the SA-24. |
| Posted by: Glenmore 2009-06-02 18:26 |
| #3 Is anyone sure they weren't test-fired on a Brazilian jet? |
| Posted by: Lumpy Elmoluck5091 2009-06-02 13:41 |
| #2 I imagine the Columbians could request help in slapping their neighbor. Given Hugo has put loyalty before competence in his military, I suspect that Columbia won't need help solving the problem on their eastern border when they finally decide to remove the safe havens and supplier for FARC et al. He may taunt the American dog, but the one next door doesn't have that kind of self imposed leash. The last thing Hugo needs is that kind of army in his border and on its way to Caracas upon which his internal opposition can unite with. |
| Posted by: Procopius2k 2009-06-02 08:32 |
| #1 Venezuelan officials offered Colombia's FARC rebels weapons, money and contacts to buy anti-aircraft missiles If that isn't a casus belli, I don't know what is. I imagine the Columbians could request help in slapping their neighbor. |
| Posted by: Spot 2009-06-02 08:17 |