If We Go to Venezuela, Some Things Need to Change

IF we go to Venezuela... It seems more and more and more likely every single day that we'll put boots on the ground to ensure the food, medicine, and other humanitarian aid supplies get distributed to the people. So IF we go...or in our slightly jaded opinion, WHEN we go, things need to change.We'll always say this about the last almost twenty years of warfare. "We were winning when I left." But changing political winds and the abject brutality of war in an urban environment against an insurgency had public opinion swaying back and forth like a tire swing. It's sad, yes but it is not without lessons. Lessons that IF we decide to go into Venezuela, we should take heed of and change the way we do business.First off, there needs to be clear cut commanders intent for victory. What does that look like? Maduro killed or arrested? The army to surrender? What is it? Define it and then achieve it. Don't change it every two weeks.Second, let the troops achieve your commanders intent. Nobody here is advocating for war crimes, but warfare is ever evolving and the black and white in which armchair quarterbacks see the war may not mesh with reality. Take the restraints off the troops and let them do their job. Their job is to kill people who kill people because killing people is wrong. Either we're firm in our resolve to do the job right or we don't go. Keep the politicians out of it. The more brutal it is, the quicker it is over. The lower the chances of politicians screwing it up are.Third, when the above tasks have been executed properly, leave. Nobody wants to hang around in a country where people will get fed up with you and take pop shots at you, but you can't fire back. We never minded getting shot at as long as we could shoot back. It was part of the job, but force dudes to hang around and take away the only fun part of the job.Fourth, let them fix their own shit. We came, we saw, we killed the bad guys, now let these dudes build their country right. They're adults, not toddlers, we don't have to hold their hands.Lastly, don't tolerate Russia's bullshit. Look, we can pretend all we want that Russia isn't looking to see themselves atop the food chain, but they are. And if we don't do a good job in Venezuela, we're opening the door for Russia to get another foothold in the Western Hemisphere. If they interfere...kill them too.We should win. IF we go anywhere, we should win. Whether or not we should go...well someone with way more sway than us makes those decisions so that's out of our hands.