Military unrest in Venezuela. Cuban trained infiltrators rat out military dissent

[GatoGordo]

MILITARY UNREST GROWS: What is happening within the only power that sustains Maduro?
By Darío Mizrahi / [e-mail] / Infobae



Amid rumors of conspiracies and uprisings, the government arrested dozens of middle managers of the Armed Forces and retired Major General Miguel Rodríguez Torres, Chávez's intelligence chief for a decade. The causes and possible effects of a crisis that can be lethal to the regime.

Nicolás Maduro assumed the presidency in 2013 with very little legitimacy. The only thing that guaranteed it was having been chosen as successor by Hugo Chávez. But his civilian status in a government headed by the military, his lack of leadership and the tight victory in the presidential elections left him with a minimum margin of maneuver.

Aware that in these conditions governability was at risk, especially in the context of an increasingly acute economic crisis, Maduro made the decision that allows him to stay in Miraflores five years later: give all power to the Bolivarian National Armed Forces ( FANB).

The most sensitive sectors of the administration, such as food, security and oil, are now under the direct control of the military. Uniformed from different forces they came to occupy a third of the ministries and almost half of the governorates. Because of the policy of indiscriminate promotions in exchange for political support, the FANB already has about 2,000 generals, more than double the United States.*

-snip-

https://www.infobae.com/america/venezuela/2018/03/24/crece-el-malestar-militar-en-venezuela-que-esta-pasando-al-interior-del-unico-poder-que-sostiene-a-maduro/

*Actually, the FANB has over 4000 generals, each one getting a cut of the PdVSA gravy train that the FANB controls. The US Code limits the number of active duty Generals/Flag Officers in the military to 231 (from Brig Gen to Gen of the Army), with provisions for up to 310 more, for joint (NATO, etc) assignments (see link below). Venezuela has any number of 5 or 6 star Generalissimos, only because they haven't created the title/pay grade of Emperor of the Army... yet.

The Cuban trained infiltrators was a well known addition to the FANB after the 2002 coup attempt. Chavez was a zealot, but he wasn't dumb. Well trained by the Castros

https://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/text/10/526