CIVILIAN-MILITARY POWER BALANCEFor more than a decade, real power in Venezuela has been held by a small circle of senior officials. This power structure makes dismantling Venezuela’s current government more complex than removing Maduro, according to interviews with current and former U.S. officials, Venezuelan and U.S. military analysts and security consultants to Venezuela’s opposition. “The focus is now on Diosdado Cabello,” said Venezuelan military strategist Jose Garcia. Venezuela has as many as 2,000 generals and admirals, more than double the number in the United States. Beyond contracts, military officials profit from illicit trade, defectors and current and former U.S. investigators say.

Source: Huffington Post January 04, 2026 18:18 UTC