US Planned Venezuela Raid During Military Holiday Leave

A newly released Department of Justice memo has unveiled the meticulous planning behind the US raid into Venezuela, revealing a strategy centered on exploiting holiday periods to minimize military resistance. The document, dated December 23, offers a rare glimpse into the operational calculus of the high-risk mission.

The planning for the raid, which ultimately took place in early January, was designed to coincide with a time when a significant portion of Venezuela's military forces would be on leave. This timing was a critical factor in the strategy to reduce casualties and achieve surprise during the daring nighttime operation.

The core of the US strategy hinged on precise timing. According to the memo, the initial plan was to execute the strike at 0100 am local time on a date selected to ensure a maximum number of Venezuelan military personnel were away on holiday leave. This approach was explicitly designed to minimize casualties during the operation.

While the memo was written in late December, the actual raid began late on January 2 and continued into the next day. President Donald Trump later noted that the initial plan was for December 30, but the operation was delayed four days for better weather conditions. The memo does not specify how many soldiers were actually absent when the raid was executed.

In order to minimize casualties, the strike will take place at 0100 am (local time) on a date where a maximum number of Venezuelan military would be on leave for the holidays.

The Department of Justice memo, authored by Assistant Attorney General T. Elliot Gaiser, outlined a multi-layered approach to the raid. A key objective was to frame the incursion as a law enforcement operation rather than an act of war, which influenced the planning of military actions.

The Pentagon anticipated significant resistance from Venezuela's air defenses, particularly several dozen anti-aircraft systems protecting the approach to Fuerte Tiuna, a major military installation in Caracas where Nicolás Maduro and his wife were located. To counter this, the plan involved:

• Striking air defense systems to clear a path for assault forces
• Targeting a local power switching station to keep Caracas in darkness
• Employing non-kinetic actions, such as cyberattacks or electronic warfare, before kinetic operations

The memo noted that the expected duration of the operation within Venezuelan territory was redacted, but the planning was comprehensive. The US aimed to use a certain expertise to turn off the lights, a remark later echoed by President Trump.

The raid was executed with a massive display of air power. According to Dan Caine, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, more than 150 US aircraft participated in the operation. This diverse fleet included stealth jets, electronic attack aircraft, surveillance and reconnaissance planes, airborne early warning aircraft, bombers, and drones.

Many of these aircraft were tasked with targeting and engaging Venezuela's air defenses to enable low-flying helicopters to storm Maduro's compound. The operation was successful in its primary objective: the apprehension of Nicolás Maduro and his wife, who were transported to New York to face drug and weapons charges. The former leader has pleaded not guilty.

Despite the high-risk nature of the mission, the US did not lose any aircraft. However, one helicopter sustained a hit but remained operational. A defense official reported that seven American service members were wounded during the night. The two countries involved stated that dozens of Venezuelan and Cuban security personnel were killed.

The memo repeatedly emphasized that the mission's success depended on maintaining the element of surprise. It stated, "Risks to the mission are significant," and that its "success will depend on surprise." This was a central pillar of the entire operational plan.

In the aftermath of the raid, this strategic goal was confirmed as achieved. Chairman Dan Caine stated that the US had secured "totally the element of surprise." The combination of holiday timing, non-kinetic electronic actions, and a coordinated air assault allowed the forces to reach their target with minimal warning.

The memo was made public several days after the raid concluded, meaning the actual execution may have deviated from the initial planning. However, the core principles of timing, surprise, and overwhelming force were clearly evident in the final operation.

The release of this memo provides a structured understanding of the strategic thinking behind the Venezuela raid. It highlights the importance of intelligence, timing, and operational secrecy in modern military and law enforcement actions.

Key elements that defined the mission's success include:

• The strategic selection of a holiday period to reduce military resistance
• A complex, multi-domain approach combining kinetic and non-kinetic operations
• The use of overwhelming air power to establish air superiority quickly
• A strict adherence to maintaining the element of surprise until the final moment

As the legal and geopolitical ramifications of the operation continue to unfold, this document serves as a critical record of the planning that enabled one of the most significant cross-border operations in recent history.