April 26, 2005
Venezuela: arms purchases
Published by Oxford Analytica

"(.) Arms race? The idea that the Venezuelan government is shifting further to the left has exacerbated pre-existing security concerns in the United States (.) Venezuela's recent purchase of transport and military weaponry from Russia, Brazil and Spain has increased these anxieties, as underscored by critical comments made by US Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The possibility of an arms race in the Andes has become an acute concern for US officials, who perceive the build up of offensive capabilities by Venezuela as a threat to regional stability and bilateral relations between Venezuela and Colombia.

Recent Venezuelan arms purchases include:

  • 100,000 AK-47 rifles and ten military helicopters (nine combat and one transport) from Russia under a 120 million dollar contract signed in November
  • Super Tucano light-attack propeller planes from Brazil
  • Eight patrol boats and ten transport planes from Spain

The government delayed these purchases for two reasons, namely:

  • concern that sections of the armed forces were not loyal to the president; and
  • because it would have been provocative had they occurred at the height of anti-government mobilisation prior to the August 2004 recall referendum.

Caracas counter-claims . Caracas has rejected claims that it is assuming a more confrontational posture through its weaponry acquisitions:

  • It points out that the guns currently in service with the armed forces are Belgian light weapons that are nearly 30 years old.
  • The defence ministry says that the US supplier of spare parts for the dated fleet of air support units has failed to deliver on Venezuelan requests for upgraded equipment.
  • The government maintains that the poor quality of existing weaponry and facilities has affected the security forces' ability to guard the 1,400-kilometre border with Colombia.
  • The lack of naval patrol boats has further undermined the capacity of the armed forces to track drug traffickers, a situation that informed the decision by the Spanish government to supply coastal patrol vessels.

In sum, Venezuela has rejected concerns that it is engaging in an arms race with Colombia and has countered US criticism by emphasising that Venezuela can only deliver effectively in the war on drugs and terrorism if it is equipped to do so. Caracas has accused Washington of hypocrisy in criticising Venezuela, most specifically because Washington has assisted the Colombian administration in its internal war on terror and drugs with over 1.6 billion dollars in military aid.

Venezuelan officials have also argued that the arms purchases are a sovereign matter in which the United States should not interfere. This position has been supported by the Brazilian and Argentine governments, which have impeded US efforts to isolate Venezuela regionally and diplomatically.

Bilateral downturn . The arms acquisitions come at a point of deep tension in US-Venezuelan relations and fragility in Venezuela-Colombian ties (.)".