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Former top Venezuelan military officers who have fled the country have painted a grim picture of the current state of Venezuela's armed forces, suggesting that any armed conflict between the United States and Venezuela would be decisively short and overwhelmingly favor Washington. Speaking to the Miami Herald, several exiled officials revealed that despite their displacement, they maintain communication with comrades still serving in the military. These contacts have reportedly described a pervasive deterioration across all branches of Venezuela's armed forces, with operational capabilities alarmingly low.
According to the figures shared by these former officers, the Venezuelan army is operating at only about 33% to 35% of its full capacity. One former high-ranking military official bluntly stated that any effort to resist a US military attack would amount to suicide, emphasizing the inability of Venezuelan forces even to launch their aircraft, let alone endure a sustained conflict. Similar assessments were extended to other branches of the military, with operational readiness estimated to hover between 25% and 40% across all divisions.
The mechanical and logistical issues plaguing the Venezuelan military are severe. Several tanks and armored vehicles are reported to suffer from electrical and mechanical failures amid a chronic shortage of spare parts and qualified maintenance personnel. The Navy is particularly diminished, with only three ocean patrol vessels still operational, armed with Iranian missiles that experts deem ineffective. Notably, six missile frigates have already been dismantled and sold as scrap, and the country currently lacks any functioning submarines.
The Air Force's situation is similarly dire. Only four Soviet-era Sukhoi Su-30 fighter jets are estimated to be operational, and while there are four US-made F-16s capable of flight, they reportedly lack any missiles. Most helicopters and transport planes have overdue inspections, rendering them unfit for combat or operational use. Air defense capabilities are reportedly at just 20%, and although the government claims possession of approximately 5,000 portable surface-to-air missiles, these are largely effective only against helicopters, not jets.
Training standards within the Venezuelan military remain low, estimated at between 25% and 30%, which further undermines readiness. Communication systems have nearly collapsed, severely hampering command and control capabilities. Taken together, these factors illustrate a military force severely degraded by years of neglect, economic hardship, and political turmoil. The overall picture described by these officers indicates that Venezuela’s armed forces are ill-prepared for any major conflict, especially one against a highly capable opponent like the United States.
