Operation Absolute Resolve

US Delta Force captures Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro

Following months of tension between the United States and Venezuela, with a series of naval blockades and attacks on Venezuelan vessels in the Caribbean, the US armed forces launched a clandestine operation to capture the Venezuelan president, Nicolás Maduro. The aim was to capture Maduro, who had been criminally indicted for narcoterrorism by American courts. While not unprecedented, this is the first time the US has directly intervened to depose a foreign leader since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein in 2003. After months of planning and preparation, President Donald Trump ordered the US Joint Chiefs of Staff to commence Operation Absolute Resolve at 10:46 AM EST on January 2nd.

A coalition of 150 Air Force, Navy, and Marine aircraft took off from various airfields in the southern United States and the Caribbean. Before any ground attacks, electromagnetic warfare systems were used to disable the Venezuelan military’s radar and anti-air systems, rendering them defenseless against US aircraft. Following this, attack drones and bomber airplanes struck critical infrastructure in the capital city of Caracas and along the coast around 12:30 AM EST. Over the course of half an hour, the US made dozens of strikes, mostly on military installations and government facilities.

With the bombardment phase complete, around 1:00 am, the US Delta Force, a special forces unit trained in counterterrorism raids, was dropped into Caracas by Blackhawk and Chinook helicopters. Targeting the compound where Maduro was suspected to be located, Delta Force captured him and his wife while they were asleep. Delta Force was extracted by helicopter along with Maduro, having suffered zero American casualties. Maduro was then flown back to the USS Iwo Jima before being transported to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Brooklyn, New York, where he now awaits trial.

While a logistical success, the question of what the future holds for Venezuela is now being posed by many, including Congress, which was not informed about the operation ahead of time to preserve secrecy. Additionally, the United States has faced international rebuke for the operation, as it violated international law. Following Maduro’s capture, Vice President of Venezuela Delcy Rodríguez became the acting president of Venezuela, although how long she will hold that position remains to be seen, as Maduro is suspected of having rigged the 2024 election to facilitate his re-election.

Currently, the United States is coordinating with the Venezuelan opposition to secure access to the country, stationing naval craft off the coast and seizing any oil tankers in the region, having captured 30-50 million barrels of crude oil. How the political landscape in Venezuela plays out remains to be seen, but with the US turning its attention elsewhere, Venezuela may be left to its own devices for the time being.