Key Facts
- Formally named
- 13 November 2025 by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
- Initial deployment
- Mid-August 2025, Caribbean Sea
- Casualties (DB)
- 172
- First land strike in Venezuela
- Late December 2025
- Maduro captured
- 3 January 2026, following Caracas strikes
- Expanded to Ecuador
- 6 March 2026, targeting Comandos de la Frontera
Strategic Narrative Overview
U.S. forces deployed to the Caribbean in mid-August 2025, followed by airstrikes on vessels allegedly controlled by narco-terrorists in September. The Cartel of the Suns was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization by late November, opening a new operational phase. In December, the Maduro government itself was declared a Foreign Terrorist Organization, and U.S. forces began seizing sanctioned crude tankers. Late December saw the first strike on a land target inside Venezuela, culminating in bombing raids on Caracas on 3 January 2026.
01 / The Origins
The Trump administration launched Operation Southern Spear in 2025 to counter drug trafficking and transnational criminal networks in the Western Hemisphere. Heightened tensions with Venezuela under Nicolás Maduro, combined with the administration's pressure to stem illicit drug flows into the United States, provided the geopolitical context. Some analysts viewed the operation as merging the war on terror with the war on drugs, while others identified regime change in Venezuela as an underlying objective.
03 / The Outcome
On 3 January 2026, U.S. forces struck targets in Caracas and other Venezuelan locations, leading to the capture of Nicolás Maduro, who was flown out of the country. The operation subsequently expanded to Ecuador on 6 March 2026, with U.S. forces participating in strikes against the Comandos de la Frontera armed group. The ultimate political settlement and long-term consequences for Venezuela remained ongoing at the time of reporting.
Belligerents & Mobilization Analysis
Side A
1 belligerent
Donald Trump, Pete Hegseth.
Side B
2 belligerents
Nicolás Maduro.
Kinetic Engagement Axis
Scroll horizontally to view full axis. Events plotted relatively.