FDD Morning Brief Venezuela's inflection point | feat. RADM (Ret.) Mark Montgomery
Jan 5, 2026
Retired U.S. Navy Rear Admiral Mark Montgomery, now a senior director at FDD’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, shares insights on the complexities of the Maduro operation. He discusses the rare planning for long-range capture missions and the involvement of U.S. special forces. Montgomery highlights the operation's mixed motives, touching on issues like drug trafficking and energy leverage. He emphasizes the critical need for stabilization and legitimate elections in Venezuela while addressing regional impacts on China and the broader axis of aggressors.
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US Special Operations Reach Rare Capability
- The Maduro capture reflected rare, high-end special-operations capability practiced repeatedly before execution.
- Mark Montgomery emphasized only a handful of states can project that kind of distant capture mission reliably.
Cyber Strike Used As Supporting Tool
- The operation included a cyber takedown of Venezuela's power grid as an enabling strike.
- Montgomery cautioned the cyber effect was against a much weaker target, not parity-level cyber warfare.
Who Led The Ground And Air Assault
- Mark Montgomery recounted which U.S. units led the ground capture and aviation lift.
- He noted Army Delta Force, FBI tactical teams, Night Stalkers, and Air Force and Navy pilots all participated and took fire.