U.S. Forces Conduct First Military Drills in Caracas Since January Raid on Maduro
American forces carried out military exercises in Caracas on May 23, 2026, according to a report by The Epoch Times citing the operation as the first such drills in Venezuela's capital since a January raid that sought to detain then-leader Nicolás Maduro. The Pentagon has not issued a public statement on the legal authority under which the May 23 exercises were conducted, nor has the State Department commented on whether the drills were coordinated with or notified to Venezuelan authorities.
The timing is notable. January's raid—widely reported as an attempt to capture Maduro and挫碎了 the socialist government—was depicted by the Trump administration as an enforcement action tied to sanctions and drug-trafficking indictments. It failed to remove Maduro. The return of American forces to Venezuelan soil, even in a drill capacity, signals that Washington has not abandoned the option of direct pressure even as the Maduro administration remains firmly in control of Caracas.
Venezuelan state media had not published a formal response to the May 23 exercises as of filing. The absence of a public statement from Caracas is itself a data point: previous incidents involving American military presence have drawn sharp condemnation from Venezuelan officials. The silence suggests either that the Maduro government has not yet confirmed the drills independently, or that it is weighing a response before going public.
Scope and Legal Ambiguity
The Pentagon has historically avoided confirming or denying specific training activities in sensitive jurisdictions, citing operational security. But the absence of any official disclosure in this case is conspicuous. The January raid generated significant international scrutiny, including from regional governments that opposed what they characterised as an extraterritorial enforcement action. Allowing the legal basis for American troop presence in Caracas to remain unaddressed leaves open questions about whether the exercises were conducted with the knowledge of Venezuelan authorities—unlikely—or whether they represent a repeat of the kind of unilateral action that triggered diplomatic pushback in January.
The Biden administration had largely disengaged from direct engagement with Caracas, prioritising multilateral sanctions as the lever of influence. The current approach under the Trump administration has shifted toward more assertively extraterritorial tools, including indictments and, as January demonstrated, direct intervention. The May 23 drills suggest that physical presence—brief, staged, deniable in its full scope—remains part of that repertoire.
Regional Context and Opposition
Latin American governments have historically resisted unilateral American military action in the hemisphere. The January raid drew criticism from several governments in the region who framing it as a violation of Venezuelan sovereignty. The Organization of American States has a mixed record on enforcement, and past efforts to pass resolutions critical of Venezuelan government conduct have stalled without consensus. The drills, if they are confirmed by further reporting, are likely to reignite debate about the boundaries of American operational latitude in the hemisphere.
Caracas has also deepened its relationships with non-Western partners since the January incident. Russian and Chinese diplomatic engagement with the Maduro government has continued apace, and both Moscow and Beijing have frameworks in place that could be invoked to signal displeasure at American military activity near Venezuelan territory. The structural question—whether American assertiveness in Latin America is generating closer coordination among rivals—remains unresolved in the open sources, but the trajectory is one Washington will have to weigh.
What Remains Unknown
The sources available to this publication do not specify the number of personnel involved in the May 23 drills, the specific installations or locations used, or whether Venezuelan military or intelligence services were present during the exercises. The legal basis for the operation—whether conducted under a Status of Forces Agreement, a unilateral notification, or without Venezuelan knowledge—has not been confirmed. Neither the Pentagon nor the State Department provided comment before filing. Venezuelan government statements, if any, had not appeared in the public record as of May 25, 2026.
This publication will continue to track developments as official statements and independent corroboration become available.
This article was filed from the Americas desk. Wire coverage of the May 23 drills was limited to a single primary source at time of publication. Monexus is seeking comment from the Pentagon, the State Department, and Venezuelan government channels.
Wire provenance
This editorial synthesis draws on the following public wire/social posts:
- https://t.me/EpochTimes/84991