US military details timeline of operation to capture Maduro, revealing more than 150 aircraft involved

Joint Chiefs Gen. Dan Caine provided details Saturday connected however the U.S. subject and assorted quality agencies worked unneurotic to seizure Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, revealing that much than 150 craft were launched successful adjacent coordination successful a mission called "Operation Absolute Resolve." 

Caine said the cognition began "during the darkest hours of January 2nd and was the culmination of months of readying and rehearsal," and 1 that "only the United States subject could undertake." 

"It required the utmost of precision and integration wrong our associated force, and the connection integration does not explicate the sheer complexity of specified a mission, an extraction truthful precise it progressive much than 150 craft launching crossed the Western Hemisphere successful adjacent coordination, each coming unneurotic successful clip and spot to furniture effects for a azygous purpose, to get an interdiction unit into downtown Caracas portion maintaining the constituent of tactical surprise," Caine said portion appearing Saturday alongside President Donald Trump astatine Mar-a-Lago. 

"Last night, the upwind broke conscionable enough, clearing a way that lone the astir skilled aviators successful the satellite could maneuver done — ocean, mountain, debased clouds, ceilings. But erstwhile tasked with a mission, this enactment does not quit. At 10:46 p.m. Eastern Time past night, the president ordered the United States subject to determination guardant with this mission. He said to us, and we admit it, Mr. President, ‘Good luck and Godspeed," Caine said.

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President Donald Trump listens arsenic Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks astatine Mar-a-Lago connected Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, successful Palm Beach, Fla.  (Alex Brandon/AP)

"And those words were transmitted to the full associated force. Over the people of the night, craft began launching from 20 antithetic bases connected onshore and oversea crossed the Western Hemisphere," Caine added, noting that, "Our youngest unit subordinate was 20 and our oldest unit subordinate was 49." 

The Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said the quality agencies, including the CIA, National Secruity Agency (NSA) and National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency (NGA) assisted successful the effort. 

"As the nighttime began, the helicopters took disconnected with the extraction force, which included instrumentality enforcement officers, and began their formation into Venezuela astatine 100 feet supra the water," Caine said. "As they approached Venezuelan shores, the United States began layering antithetic effects provided by Spacecom, Cybercom and different members of the interagency to make a pathway."

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President Donald Trump shared a photograph of captured Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro aboard the USS Iwo Jima aft strikes connected Venezuela, connected Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (Truth Social/ @realDonaldTrump)

"Overhead, 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. The unit included F-22s, F-35s, F-18s, EA-18s, E-2s, B-1 bombers, and different support aircraft, arsenic good as numerous remotely piloted drones," helium continued. 

"As the unit began to attack Caracas, the associated air component began dismantling and disabling the aerial defence systems successful Venezuela, employing weapons to guarantee the harmless transition of the helicopters into the people area," according to Caine. 

"We arrived astatine Maduro's compound astatine 1:01 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, oregon 2:01 a.m. Caracas section time, and the apprehension unit descended into Maduro's compound and moved with speed, precision and subject towards their nonsubjective and isolated the country to guarantee the information and information of the crushed force, portion apprehending the indicted persons," Caine said.

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Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine speaks during a quality league connected Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, successful Palm Beach, Fla., pursuing the U.S. seizure of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro.  (Alex Brandon/AP)

"On accomplishment into the people area, the helicopters came under fire, and they replied with that occurrence with overwhelming unit and self-defense. One of our aircraft was deed but remained flyable. And arsenic the president said earlier today, all of our aircraft came location and that aircraft remained flyable during the remainder of the mission," helium added. 

Maduro and his woman past "gave up" and were taken into custody by the Justice Department, with nary nonaccomplishment of beingness to U.S. forces, Caine told reporters.

"After securing the indicted persons, the unit began to prep for departure. Helicopters were called successful to exfiltrate the extraction force, portion fighter aircraft and remotely piloted aircraft provided overhead sum and suppressive fire. There were aggregate self-defense engagements arsenic the unit began to retreat retired of Venezuela," helium added. 

Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro addresses members of the equipped forces, Bolivarian Militia, constabulary and civilians during a rally against a imaginable escalation of U.S. actions toward the country, astatine Fort Tiuna subject basal successful Caracas, Venezuela, connected Nov. 25, 2025.  (Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters)

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"The unit successfully exfiltrated and returned to their afloat motorboat bases, and the unit was implicit the h2o astatine 3:29 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, with indicted persons connected board, and some Maduro and his woman were embarked aboard the USS Iwo Jima," Caine concluded.