More from the article ...

... For American commanders, that means every operation and incident now happens under the threat of Venezuelan retaliation " a situation the current force is not ready to handle.
Russian Missiles and Air Defense Systems Pose Threat to U.S. Navy

Venezuela can't match U.S. firepower in a conventional fight. Its 123,000-member armed forces are allegedly plagued by maintenance problems, with analysts telling The Wall Street Journal the military is "in shambles." Their submarines and surface vessels are probably inoperable, according to experts quoted by Breaking Defense.

But Venezuela has spent billions on the weapons that could cause the most damage: Russian-built systems such as missiles and jets designed to interdict U.S. ships and aircraft. ...

@#2 ... Venezuela could be our Ukraine. ...

Interesting observation ...