Defense chief backs U.S. military role in Venezuela to deliver aid

Acting Defense Secretary Patrick Shanahan said the U.S. military has a role in the crisis in Venezuela, but strictly for humanitarian assistance.

Appearing before the House Armed Services Committee Tuesday, Mr. Shanahan said the use of the U.S. military for humanitarian aid is “vital.”

“One of the reasons we were drawn in by the State Department was because we could do this so quickly,” he said.

President Trump has maintained that U.S. military intervention in Venezuela is still on the table under certain scenarios as the uprising against socialist Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro led by National Assembly leader Juan Guaido — whom the U.S. and a number of regional states consider the country’s rightful “interim president” — appeared to be intensifying by the day.

But the president faced strong bipartisan resistance on Capitol Hill to a military mission to drive Mr. Maduro from power.

Mr. Shanahan told the committee he has been working with Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Joseph Dunford to put a “regional face” on the U.S. humanitarian efforts that has sent millions of Venezuelans fleeing to neighboring countries.

“It was our ability to deliver a large volume [of personnel] over a short period of time in support of USAID which drove that initial humanitarian assist request,” Gen. Dunford said.

The acting secretary said he will soon travel to U.S. Southern Command in Florida “to have further discussions around what are the things we can do to provide support to the people of Venezuela.”