The US military is on ‘the balls of its feet’ about Venezuela’s crisis — here’s what that means, according to a former NATO commander

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Opponents to Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro face off with Bolivarian National Guards in armored vehicles who are loyal to the president, during an attempted military uprising in Caracas, Venezuela, Tuesday, April 30, 2019. Opposition leader Juan Guaido took to the streets with a small contingent of heavily armed troops in a call for the military to rise up and oust Maduro. (AP Photo/Ariana Cubillos)Associated Press

  • As Venezuela’s crises drag on, attention has turned to what the US military could do in response.
  • President Donald Trump first suggested potential military action in late 2017, but he and other US current officials have said little about what that could look like.
  • Visit Business Insider’s homepage for more stories.

The US military’s role in response to the ongoing crisis in Venezuela is gaining attention, particularly after President Donald Trump first said an armed response was possible in August 2017.

The Defense Department has said little about its planning and potential action toward the South American country, where political and economic turmoil have immiserated the public and led to international condemnation for President Nicolas Maduro, whose 2018 national election victory is widely viewed to be illegitimate.

Read more: Trump leaves ‘military option’ on the table for Venezuela, which he calls as threatening as North Korea

In recent days, however, US Navy Adm. Craig Faller, the head of US Southern Command, which oversees US operations south of Mexico’s southern border, has said his forces are on "the balls of their feet."

FILE PHOTO: Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro speaks during a ceremony to mark the 17th anniversary of the return to power of Venezuela's late President Hugo Chavez after a coup attempt and the National Militia Day in Caracas, Venezuela April 13, 2019. REUTERS/Carlos Garcia Rawlins/File PhotoReuters

Faller hasn’t said much about what that means, but James Stavridis, a retired admiral who led Southern Command and was NATO supreme allied commander, elaborated on Tuesday about what’s going on at the command’s Miami headquarters.

"Their job is to look throughout the entire hemisphere to the south," Stavridis said of Southern Command during an appearance on the Hugh Hewitt radio show, during which he called Faller a "superb officer."

"Balls of their feet means that they’re getting out all of their operational plans. They’re looking at where all of our military forces are deployed through the region, particularly maritime forces in the Caribbean, but air, sea, land, everything," Stavridis said.

Read more: John Bolton says Venezuela’s Maduro could end up in a ‘beach area like Guantánamo’

"It does not mean that we are preparing to invade Venezuela or launch military strikes. We are not," he added. "But it does mean that the military has to be prepared for everything from protecting American citizens, and there are tens of thousands of them, if not a 100,000-plus, in Venezuela to intelligence … [to] as you hear [Trump] say, contemplating an embargo of Cuba."

"That’s an interesting thing to hear from the commander in chief. I suspect Southern Command is looking at what that would mean," Stavridis said of Trump’s threat to impose a "full and complete embargo" and the "highest level sanctions" on Cuba if Havana did not end its support of Maduro.

‘Anything we can do … we should be doing’

US Navy Michael Mansoor Cartagena ColombiaUS Navy/Mass Comm. Specialist 1st Class John Philip Wagner, Jr

A US Southern Command spokesman declined to comment on Stavridis’ remarks and pointed to Faller’s statements before the House Armed Services Committee on Tuesday, when he testified alongside the head of US Northern Command and senior Defense Department officials.

"Anything we can do to impact and pressure Venezuela and continue this necessary transition to democracy, we should be doing, and I know we’re looking at that across the full range," Faller said in response to a question from Florida Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz.

Faller has previously said that that the US military was ready to protect US diplomats in Venezuela, but on Tuesday he declined to discuss the "details of the different courses of action, things we’re looking at" in open testimony. But, he said, "broadly … the leadership’s been clear, our job’s to be ready, and we’re on the balls of our feet."

People stand on a container that blocks the Simon Bolivar bridge between Colombia and Venezuela in Cucuta, Colombia, April 2, 2019. REUTERS/StringerReuters

The Southern Command chief also described Cuba as a malefactor in the region and in Venezuela, where he said Havana was "just completely protecting Maduro and the inner circle" and had infiltrated the military and intelligence services. 

"So putting pressure on Cuba is a good thing. Maximum pressure [is] a good thing," Faller said, adding that his command was aware of Trump’s statement about a potential strengthening of the US embargo on Cuba.

"We’re carefully looking at plans, what it would take to do that," he said. "And I’m not prepared to discuss in an open setting what it would take."

NOW WATCH: Venezuela was Latin America’s richest country and now it is in complete crisis — here’s how it fell apart

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SEE ALSO: The ‘king-maker’ keeping Nicolas Maduro in power is starting to crack — here’s why Venezuela’s soldiers are breaking ranks, in their own words

Source: Business Insider – feedback@businessinsider.com (Christopher Woody)

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