Considering US tactical supremacy in Venezuela

Venezuela demonstrates that the US is very good a combined arms tactics. What makes them unique, and what are some potential implications?

Operation Absolute Resolve was a complex combined arms operation that demonstrated several unique capabilities of the US military. Information about the operation is slowly being made available, and the strategy behind the raid does not seem cohesive, but there is no argument about the tactical efficiency demonstrated by US forces. But what are the military factors that make this operation unique?

Size and scale

The operation was uniquely large both in the resources deployed, and in the area covered. It involved coordinating several ships and more than 150 aircraft[i], at night, in hostile territory, to attack widely separated, well-defended targets in a synchronised manner. For instance, the first step in the attack involved shutting down Venezuela’s defence network and creating air superiority over and arc roughly 110km wide. See the map below.

Achieving air superiority was vital because it allowed the assault force’s transport helicopters and attack aircraft to safely infiltrate to their targets. An air superiority campaign involves suppressing the opposition’s air defences, and in this operation that role required simultaneous strikes on at least six widely separated missile, radar and communications hubs. Shown on the map above.

The ground operation was also large for a special forces operation. Few countries would be able to muster a couple of hundred top-tier special force soldiers for an operation. Russia and China have large special forces units but they lack the training and operational experience of their American counterparts.

The Delta Force soldiers that assaulted Maduro’s accommodation in the Fuerte Tiuna military base, blew their way into the building and captured their target incredibly quickly. On the ‘Intelligence Scoop’ podcast’s ‘How Trump Captured Maduro in Venezuela’[ii] episode the presenters discussed the speed of the assault stating that from Delta Force soldiers entering Maduro’s accommodation to his capture was only about 3 minutes. Notably, it is probably during this period that Maduro’s security detail was engaged and 32 Cuban special forces soldiers protecting him were killed.[iii]

The ease of this operation is an indication of the scale of the US military machine and its capabilities. For example, in 2022 when Russia special forces tried a similar coup de main operation to capture Ukraine’s President Zelensky. The assault was defeated after successful assaults on the presidential palace.[iv] The US special forces community has a unique level of capability because it can put large numbers of top-tier soldiers into an operation. Generally, countries have either a small number of top-tier soldiers or a larger number of less effective soldiers. The US is the only country with both.

A unique ability to manage complexity

Operation Absolute Resolve was not just large but was also complex. It involved US commanders coordinating a complicated plan, each phase of which required the successful completion of the previous phases. A very difficult task particularly under the stress of combat.

The operation to achieve air-superiority provides an insight into the level of complexity US planners faced. The first step involved shutting down Venezuela’s local air defence network. An operation that probably started with electronic and cyber attacks on the radar and communications infra-structure supporting Venezuela’s fighter and missile defences. This phase of the operations would have included coordinating the activities of hacking teams in the US, large electronic warfare aircraft over the Caribbean and smaller F-18 Growler electronic warfare aircraft.

When an electronic ‘window’ opened, strike aircraft, probably stealthy F-35s or drones, would have slipped through Venezuela’s compromised air surveillance network. Using the brief window of safety to attack air defence missiles, radar and communications sites. The strike aircraft would be shadowed by other combat aircraft ready to protect them if Venezuelan interceptors were launched. “Those forces were protected by aircraft from the United States Marines, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard” General Dan Caine, Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff confirmed when he briefed reporters after the operation [v]

An additional and notable layer of complexity was the surgical precision of these strikes. The attacks were specifically targeted, and destroyed only their target. S-300 missile systems were knocked out close to civilian facilities, buildings and ships but little collateral damage was reported. Limiting damage requires very careful planning and integration of additional ‘moving parts’ into the plan. For instance, using observers on the ground or drones to designate targets, so that bombs fall in exactly the right place.

The air operation was complex and Caine confirmed the use of 20 flying off points; bases on land of carriers at sea.[vi] He also confirmed the use of tanker aircraft probably to support aircraft operating from land bases in the US or Puerto Rico. Aerial re-fuelling is an activity that requires skill and detailed planning to ensure that tankers and the aircraft they are re-fuelling are both in the right place at the right time, and are protected by fighters. A complex aerial ballet that was clearly well-run by well-trained and experienced Airborne Early Warning and Command aircraft crews that coordinated the movement of everything in the air above Venezuela from unwieldly electronic warfare aircraft and tankers to dozens of helicopters and fighters. Something only the US military could do at this scale.

This operation stands in stark contrast to the 2022 invasion of Ukraine. Russia’s failure to master the complexities of air domain operations meant they failed to achieve air superiority. The only recent display of similar capabilities is Israel’s establishment of air superiority over Iran in 2025. However, this operation was probably supported by US assets and technical expertise.

The excellence of US intelligence, and the deficiencies of its competitors

The effectiveness of US intelligence agencies during Operation Absolute Resolve is noteworthy. The intelligence operation can be broken into two parts; an operation conducted by the CIA to locate Maduro, and a military programme targeting Venezuela’s defences.

In this case, the US clearly had excellent ‘human intelligence’ (HUMINT), a person or people in Maduro’s inner circle providing very detailed information about his location and security precautions. The speed and success of the assault team indicates that the US’s intelligence probably included excellent information about:

• Maduro’s security protocols and procedures.

• The number and training of his security force, including intelligence about any counter assault force that could be deployed.

• Physical security measures in his accommodation, like safe rooms, reinforced doors or booby traps.

Some of this information could be collected by observation, either by teams on the ground or from the air using satellites, aircraft or drones. More information could be collected by electronic means like covertly listening in on cell-phone conversations, tapping into landlines or internet communications. But the speed of the strike and reports that the assault team was well-briefed for instance, having equipment like thermic lances to breach armoured doors indicates the CIA had managed to get a HUMINT source, or sources, very close to Maduro.

The straightforward infiltration of the assault force also indicates the effectiveness of US military intelligence. For months prior to the operation, satellites, reconnaissance aircraft and drones were building a visual and electronic picture of Venezuela’s air defences. An intelligence programme that located, and then tracked Venezuelan air defence assets. So, when the time came, they could be jammed or bombed.

But in my assessment the most notable intelligence feature of the operation is the silence of Russia and China prior to the operation. It is useful to remember American statements prior to the invasion of Ukraine in 2022. The US indicated that the invasion was imminent, and publicly stated Putin’s location. Statements that demonstrated the US was reading Russian internal communications. It also highlighted to Putin that – should he use nuclear weapons - the US knew where he was and could target him, an important deterrent.

In this case, neither China nor Russia was able to warn Venezuela or announce US intentions ahead of the operation. This provides a useful insight into the US’s intelligence advantage. While it is possible that China or Russia knew the strike was planned but said nothing to protect their sources, I believe it is unlikely. Instead, the opportunity to embarrass the US by pre-empting their operations seems too great not to take. The US therefore appears to have an advantage over Sino-Russian intelligence agencies.

What about the wonder weapons?

Currently, there is plenty of discussion about two US wonder weapons; a ‘sound weapon’ allegedly used to incapacitate soldiers defending Maduro, and an unknown system for shutting off a city’s electricity grid.

The report of a sound weapon started with a viral video purportedly made by a soldier guarding Maduro. Since then, discussion has escalated into widespread speculation. Commentators often linking the alleged device to a long-standing theory about US diplomats being covertly targeted by Soviet / Russian sound weapons. ‘Havana Syndrome’ is a theory that proposes US diplomats serving in Cuba were attacked by a sound weapon that caused long-term physical and psychological problems. Currently, media sources are linking reports of a sound weapon to this theory and speculate that the US has acquired a similar capability.[vii]

The second claim is that the US has developed a way to shut down foreign power grids. This theory is also speculative based on reports that Caracas ‘blacked out’ during the operation. Several commentators draw parallels with a similar power shut down during the raid on Osama Bin Laden’s compound.

My assessment of these reports is that although existence of this technology is possible, at this stage there is little evidence for a sound weapon or a secret ‘off switch’ for the world’s power grids. Neither device’s use or even existence has been acknowledged, and there does not seem to be a good reason to use either ‘wonder weapon.’ Imposing shock on Maduro’s defenders or shutting down local power networks is well within the capacity of existing technology. So, I would not put too much thought into either of these claims until more information is available. However, I am sure the White House is keen to stoke speculation to distract, or scare foreign rivals.

Conclusion

It is useful to consider the unique capabilities the US demonstrated during Operation Absolute Resolve. Military operations are not like movies, capabilities like those demonstrated in Venezuela take generations to develop. Delta Force has been honing its skills for fifty years, and the soldiers, sailors and aircrew that supported them belong to organisations that have also spent decades developing their own capabilities.

The time taken to develop this tactical edge should be noted because the impact of a poor decision is significant. If this raid had gone wrong the impact on America’s military might have been significant. Even though the US has a large special forces community these soldiers remain rare and hard to replace. Therefore, their use needs to be carefully considered and well-justified.

Studying the American operation in Venezuela helps us to understand the tactical disparity between the US and potential competitors. On one hand, this gulf deters potential scenarios like China invading Taiwan, but on the other it may encourage the use of US military force. In the White House the lesson of the success in Venezuela may be to use the military more, allowing intervention to become an easy option to resolve diplomatic issues. A strategy that may be successful in the short-term but could backfire in the long-term and diplomatically isolate the US.

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[i] https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/venezuela-150-aircraft-cyber-effects-maduro-operation-how-it-happened-caine/

[ii]

[iii] https://apnews.com/article/cubans-killed-venezuela-strike-us-oas-a8d8fcbe3e825979c5d3171f9b076a85

[iv] https://time.com/6171277/volodymyr-zelensky-interview-ukraine-war/

[v] https://breakingdefense.com/2026/01/venezuela-150-aircraft-cyber-effects-maduro-operation-how-it-happened-caine/

[vi] https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/ate-inside-meticulously-planned-operation-capture-maduro/story?id=128871919

[vii] https://www.forbes.com/sites/davidhambling/2026/01/13/epic-win-us-secret-weapon-may-have-incapacitated-maduros-guards/ or https://www.cbsnews.com/news/havana-syndrome-device-what-to-know/