Maduro capture mission’s biggest challenge revealed by Delta Force veteran
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A retired Delta Force veteran has offered new insight into the U.S. military’s capture of Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro, revealing the toughest part of the mission and describing the elite Army special operations unit as “more polished now than ever.”
John McPhee, who served in the U.S. Army’s elite special operations unit, told “Fox & Friends Weekend” on Sunday that the biggest challenge of the mission came before the operators reached their targets.
“I would say the toughest mission was to take out all the air defenses and get the guys on the ground,” McPhee said. “The guys can take care of themselves once they’re on the ground. But if you’re going to fight, you gotta fight.”
TRUMP ANNOUNCED THAT VENEZUELA’S MADURO WAS CAUGHT IN A HOUSE LIKE A ‘CASTLE’: ‘IT WAS WITHDRAWED THAT QUICKLY’
President Donald Trump said the military had launched a “large-scale” attack on Venezuela and captured Nicolás Maduro and his wife. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
McPhee emphasized that operations of this scale require extensive preparation and coordination.
“Something like this takes months to plan and organize. But once the guys figure it out, you can’t stop them,” he said.
U.S. Army helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known as the “Night Stalkers,” were flying special operations forces into Venezuela during the raid, officials said.
At least Seven explosions were heard According to reports, low-flying planes were seen over the city of Caracas, the capital of Venezuela, around 02:00 in the morning local time.
USA’S CAPTURE OF MADURO WAS PUNISHED ON WORLD STAGES AFTER THE CHAMPIONSHIP AND SURGICAL VENEZUELA ATTACKS
CIA He provided the War Department with intelligence that helped Delta Force guide Maduro and his wife, who President Donald Trump said were detained during a U.S. military operation.
Venezuelan Nicolás Maduro was captured by the US military on January 3, 2026. (Jesus Vargas/Getty Images)
Despite the complexity of the attack, McPhee expressed confidence that the military had planned for every possible scenario.
“All these little details were gone through, polished, so there was no little detail that could stop what these guys were doing.”
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He said the mission underlined how advanced the force has become, adding that America “can use a land force that no one has used in history.”
“These guys plan for this, they train for this. They basically spend their entire adult lives on this one mission,” McPhee said.
No Americans were killed in the line of duty; It’s a feat Trump has praised.
Fox News’ Michael Dorgan, Rachel Wolf, David Spunt and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.
