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Via night vision equipment, Mike Durant watched as two heavy precision bombs crashed onto the Panama's military base while he remained airborne off the nation's south shoreline in a military helicopter.

"A massive explosion, followed by a blast ... similar to the most intense lightning bolt strike you've ever seen in your lifetime," the retired American military pilot recalled of the initial salvo of the Battle of Rio Hato Airfield in the month of December 1989.

Past Parallels

The covert bomber blitzkrieg and following army special forces attack marked the commencement of the US intervention in Panama - aimed to dethrone Panama's military dictator, Manuel Noriega.

The pilot and his unit members had orders to capture the Panamanian Defense Force installation to prevent forces arriving to the dictator's aid. Over the coming days, the pilot and over 25,000 additional US soldiers sought the dictator, who eventually capitulated on January 3rd 1990.

"The dictator was a awful individual ... and he needed to be ousted," commented Durant.

Current Military Deployments

Memories of Operation Just Cause have resurfaced in the past few weeks' time after President Trump ordered the largest American military deployment in Latin America and the Caribbean Sea since that invasion almost four decades ago.

A seventh of American naval assets - comprising the planet's largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R Ford - have been deployed to the region since last August, with B-52 aircraft and special forces spotted near Venezuela's northern coast. Air strikes on suspected drug vessels in the Pacific and Caribbean have resulted in the deaths of more than 60 individuals.

Stated vs Suspected Goals

Publicly, the positioning of naval vessels, Reaper unmanned aircraft and about 10,000 military troops is part of a crackdown on South American drug traffickers who the administration accuses of saturating the US with narcotics. But many think the administration's true objective is overthrowing Venezuelan ruler, Nicolás Maduro, similar to President Bush toppled Noriega before he was prosecuted and imprisoned in the US.

Opposition Perspectives

Some representatives of Venezuela's opposition appear keen for a replay of the Panama operation, on an even greater magnitude. The overseas politician Leopoldo López lately expressed support for a American intervention to oust Maduro, who is commonly considered to have rigged recent presidential election.

"It's not to be the bearer of negative information, but it appears like we are about to start on another government overthrow operation, comparable to, next week," stated Tucker Carlson recently week, citing Iraq as a primary example of the United States' unsuccessful record of regime changes that failed.

"Such actions rarely works - but we are attempting it another time, seemingly," Carlson said.

American and Expert Opinion

A latest survey found almost half of the public opposed utilizing armed action to oust Maduro with only 18% in favor.

The retired pilot additionally had reservations, even though viewing the Panama operation the most successful mission of his 20-year military service. He was confident US troops could remove Maduro, as they had Noriega. "Our forces have significant capacity and excellent personnel. But is it justified placing all that at risk?" asked Durant.

Before the Panama operation, thousands of US forces were based in the country, Durant observed, but the US has no equivalent deployment in Venezuela.

Military Assessment

The situation was additionally uncertain how effective the Venezuelan leader's Venezuelan military were of fighting back. "That to me is the greatest uncertainty," Durant said. "They do well-organized military displays. But what can they actually do? Are they prepared? Are they resourced? Are they willing to combat? Are they faithful?"

Historical Precedents

Historian Grow, a academic who published a book about US presidents and Latin American Cold War operations, saw "interesting comparisons" to previous operations.

In the year 1988, on the brink of Just Cause, the US charged Noriega for drug smuggling - similar to they have with Maduro who in recent times had a fifty million dollar bounty put on his person for allegedly running a "narco-terrorist" organization. "So ... they've set up a useful justification if they decide to pursue a military path," Grow commented.

Potential Scenarios

"But I don't believe it's on the agenda with Trump ... These particular people are not neocons. They're far more isolationist ... I just don't envision the US becoming engaged in a land war in the continent," Grow added, while he did not rule out "precision attack unmanned warfare"

James Story, the US's leading representative for the country from 2018 to 2023, also doubted a Just Cause-style attack was likely: "We usually prefer overwhelming strength and it would require 100,000 troops - and that is not Trump."

Alternative Strategies

But the former diplomat - who initially viewed Trump's armed forces buildup bluster - now viewed an 80% likelihood of "specific preemptive measure" on Venezuelan territory in the following 30 days' time, possibly an airstrike. "The amount of forces that have been arranged in the region suggest to me that we're preparing