U.S. and Venezuela Negotiating a Status of Forces Agreement That Could Ground a Long-Term American Troop Presence
Caracas — The U.S. State Department, under Secretary of State Marco Rubio, is negotiating a status of forces agreement with Venezuela that would lay the legal groundwork for a long-term American troop presence in the country, The New York Times reported on November 3, citing U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity. Neither government had publicly confirmed the talks when the report was published.
Such agreements provide a legal framework for activities mutually agreed with a security partner, potentially covering ship visits, training, military exercises and humanitarian assistance. Details such as troop numbers and locations have not been set and would be defined in future agreements, the report said. A senior State Department official in Caracas told the Times that serious discussion of U.S. bases was still a long way off and that no base talks were under way.
The current U.S. military footprint in Venezuela is small: the reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas has a full-time military attaché and a small Marine detachment. After earthquakes struck Venezuela in June, U.S. Southern Command sent about 2,000 soldiers to Venezuela and nearby areas for disaster relief, a deployment confirmed by its commander, Gen. Francis Donovan.
The talks follow the January U.S. operation in Caracas that captured then-President Nicolás Maduro; Vice President Delcy Rodríguez was sworn in as acting president on January 5. Article 13 of Venezuela's constitution prohibits foreign military bases, and Rodríguez has previously opposed a U.S. military presence and said Venezuela would never become a U.S. state — which is why troop numbers and any basing arrangement would be the most sensitive parts of any later deal.
In a November 5 interview with the Times at the White House, Rubio also voiced support for expanding military cooperation with Caracas, including a possible agreement establishing legal protections for U.S. troops operating in Venezuela, while saying the two governments had not yet discussed the idea in detail. He said Venezuelan elections would ideally take place in 2027, after institutional reforms including replacement of the Supreme Court and the electoral council. (Source: The New York Times)
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Source: The New York Times
Published by GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 图：委内瑞拉首都加拉加斯市区全景（资料图）。照片：Wilfredor，CC0，经 Wikimedia Commons。 / Photo: Panoramic view of Caracas, Venezuela (file photo). Photo by Wilfredor, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons.
