From F16s to French tanks and German submarine: Inside Venezuela’s arsenal and can it stand against the US?

The U.S. has deployed 10 F-35 fighter jets to a Puerto Rico airfield to target Venezuelan drug cartels, escalating tensions in the region. Washington has already positioned warships in the southern Caribbean in recent weeks. Earlier, U.S. forces struck a boat that, according to Donald Trump, was carrying “massive amounts of drugs” from Venezuela, killing 11 people. The attack appeared to signal the beginning of a sustained military campaign in Latin America.

Tensions rose further when Venezuela sent two F-16s to fly over U.S. warships—a move Washington condemned as “highly provocative.”

But does Venezuela truly pose any military threat to the United States?

Venezuela’s Arsenal

Venezuela’s armed forces count about 340,000 personnel and rely on a patchwork of foreign-sourced weaponry. Its stockpile includes Russian fighter jets, Iranian drones, French tanks, and a German-made submarine. From the U.S., Venezuela purchased 15 F-16s in the 1980s. Additional equipment includes 173 French AMX-13 tanks, 78 British tanks, and a German Sabalo submarine from 1973.

The navy is particularly limited: one Italian frigate, nine coastal patrol boats, 25 armed speedboats, and three landing craft capable of transporting 12 tanks and 200 troops.

During the oil boom of the 2000s, then-president Hugo Chávez spent billions on military buildup. Between 2006 and 2011, Caracas acquired 23 Russian fighter jets, eight helicopters, 12 anti-aircraft missile systems, and 44 surface-to-air missile units for about $11 billion, according to U.S. Army War College expert Evan Ellis. More recently, under Nicolás Maduro and despite Western sanctions since 2017, the country added eight Iranian Mohajer drones.

Manpower Claims vs. Reality

Maduro frequently claims Venezuela has more than eight million reservists and militia members—roughly a third of the population. Analysts disagree. The International Institute of Strategic Studies (IISS) estimates the actual force at 123,000 soldiers, 220,000 militia, and 8,000 reservists.

Economic collapse has further eroded Venezuela’s capabilities. Since Maduro took power in 2013, the country’s GDP has plummeted by 80 percent. Defense spending fell from $6.2 billion in 2013 to $3.9 billion in 2023, according to SIPRI, even though the armed forces remain one of his key bases of support.

Problems of Coordination and Morale

A retired Venezuelan general told AFP that despite the diverse arsenal, poor coordination renders it ineffective. Venezuela’s military does not conduct joint training exercises, leaving its land, air, and naval forces unable to operate cohesively in complex missions.

Morale is also weak, plagued by high desertion rates and dwindling recruitment. “Morale is far below what is expected for a conflict,” the general observed.