U.S. Air Force F-16 pilots from the Vermont Air National Guard walk off the flightline after flying training missions in South Burlington on April 3, 2014. File photo via Jon Alderman/U.S. Air National Guard Vermont’s congressional delegation has condemned the deployment of Vermont’s Air N ational Guard to the Caribbean in support of a military escalation against Venezuela.  The Vermont National Guard has kept details of its looming deployment quiet since the plan was first reported earlier this month. Late last week, defense industry blog The War Zone reported that Vermont’s 158th Fighter Wing and its F-35A fighter jets were slated to head to the Caribbean as part of Operation Southern Spear, a development later referenced by U.S. Sen. Peter Welch, D-Vt.  The administration of President Donald Trump has ordered the U.S. military to ramp up pressure on Venezuela and its president, Nicolás Maduro, whom the administration has blamed for an influx of migrants to the U.S. and does not recognize as a legitimate president. That pressure has coincided with military preparations in the region.  READ MORE U.S. military antagonism against Venezuela — and mobilizing Vermont’s guard toward that end — requires congressional approval, Welch argued, a sentiment echoed by the rest of the state’s delegation. “I strongly oppose President Trump’s mobilization of the Vermont Air National Guard alongside thousands of other U.S. military units in what appears to be a relentless march to war,” Welch said in a statement last week. “An undeclared war against the Venezuelan regime would be illegal under our Constitution.” Democratic members of Congress have condemned Operation Southern Spear, which has targeted alleged drug smuggling boats, killing dozens. Some Democrats and experts in international law have suggested the U.S. may have committed war crimes by targeting survivors, and even a few Republicans in Congress have pledged to investigate the drone strikes.  It’s unclear how Vermont’s Air National Guard will support the operation, though Seven Days reported last week that the Vermonters will mobilize to a military base in Puerto Rico. U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt, focused his criticism of the mobilization on Trump’s foreign policy escalation. “After campaigning against ‘endless wars,’ the Trump administration is threatening a military intervention in Venezuela,” he said in a statement. “The Vermont congressional delegation has received zero notice, information or clarity about the location, duration and purpose of this deployment,” U.S. Rep. Becca Balint, D-Vt., said in a statement. “This is not normal, nor should it be tolerated.” While each state’s National Guard troops typically are commanded by their respective governors, the president has authority to mobilize the guard in specific circumstances. Trump has pushed that power to its judicial breaking point since beginning his second term.  Gov. Phil Scott has at least twice this year chosen not to deputize the Vermont National Guard for federal initiatives: first a request to help with clerical immigration enforcement work and later as part of Trump’s efforts to crack down on crime in Washington, D.C.  In this case, Scott said he has no control over the mobilization, which he described as in the federal government’s jurisdiction.  Joseph Brooks, a Vermont National Guard spokesperson, declined to provide more information about the mobilization until it happens, writing Monday, “This is a matter of operational security and to ensure the safety and security of our Airmen.” A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment.   Vermont’s Air National Guard utilizes F-35A fighter jets, which the guard describes as the “most advanced and capable weapon system in the U.S. Air Force.” The 158th Fighter Wing has about 1,000 members.  Read the story on VTDigger here: Vermont Air National Guard headed to Caribbean amid growing U.S. tensions with Venezuela. ...read more read less