As the Trump administration signals that it may be drawing closer to land-based strikes on Venezuelan cartels funneling drugs into the U.S., special operations forces (SOF) have been at the forefront of efforts to quell illicit trafficking for months.
Little is known about the 22 kinetic strikes that have killed 86 narco-terrorists operating around Venezuela in Operation Southern Spear since Sept 2 with the exception of the first strike, which has come under wide media scrutiny.
On Sept. 2, Navy SEAL Team Six launched a missile at a boat containing 11 purported narco-terrorists believed to be ferrying drugs to the U.S. When the initial strike left two suspected narco-terrorists clinging to the edge of their capsizing craft, U.S. Navy Adm. Frank Bradley, formerly commander of Joint Special Operations Command (JSOC), ordered a secondary strike.
Responding to concerns that the strike may constitute a war crime, on Dec. 5, Congressional leaders were given a classified briefing on the attack and shown a video of the strike.
Bradley, who was promoted to commander of the U.S. Special Operations Command (SOCOM) a month after the attack, also answered lawmakers’ questions about the orders for the strike. Despite initial sources reporting that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth issued an order to “kill them all,” Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AK) told the press after the briefing that “Bradley was very clear that he was given no such order, to give no quarter or to kill them all.”
Cotton’s interpretation of the video was that the two survivors were “trying to flip a boat loaded with drugs bound for the United States back over so they could stay in the fight.”
Rep. Adam Smith (D-WA) had a different take, telling the press that the video showed “basically two shirtless people clinging to the bow of a capsized and inoperable boat, drifting in the water–until the missiles come and kill them.”
Sen. Chris Coons (D-Del.) told reporters that “more broadly, what we are asking the men and women of our armed forces, and particularly the special forces, to do, I think still lacks clear justification.”
Special Operations Forces Out in Front
In a highly-charged media environment, the secrecy that swathes the SOF community’s operations can cause misconceptions.
A member of the SOF community who spoke to the Special Operations Association of America on condition of anonymity explained that “outside of the rough introduction provided by Hollywood, SOF missions, skills, and legal justification remain cloudy to the general American population,” leading Americans to approach SOF “with questions and skepticism” that “can reduce their ability to focus on the mission of keeping America safe.”
To demystify some of the likely SOF contributions to present-day efforts, SOAA’s source explained that “SOF elements are usually the first to ‘show up’ to a conflict, whether that means literal boots on the ground, or SOF intelligence or aviation elements providing critical information to both Washington decisionmakers and battlefield commanders.”
As of Oct. 16, elements of the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment (SOAR), better known as the Night Stalkers, have been seen operating off the coast of Venezuela.
SOAA’s source indicated that “at the moment, Night Stalkers are likely training for specific mission-sets, and should the need arise, and the command be given, they are prepared to support the movement of SOF forces wherever they are commanded to go.”
The Guardian also noted that the Night Stalkers could participate in a “snatch and grab” operation to nab Venezuelan president Nicolás Maduro or his ministers.
On Nov. 16, Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced plans to officially label Cartel de los Soles a designated terror organization, naming Maduro as its leader. President Donald Trump also sanctioned covert action inside Venezuela while opening back-channel communications with Maduro on Nov. 18.
On Dec. 10, SOF personnel were involved in a mission to seize The Skipper, a Venezuelan oil tanker under 2022 sanctions for its alleged involvement in funding the Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps and Iran-backed Hezbollah.
Building Up Forces
The U.S. had assembled a capable strike force of the coast of Venezuela by Oct. 20, including “eight Navy ships including several destroyers, the cruiser USS Lake Erie, the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, as well as F-35 fighters in Puerto Rico and B-52 bombers” according to Military.com.
On Nov. 16, the USS Gerald Ford arrived in the region along with a carrier strike group, bringing the total number of available U.S. forces to about 12,000 sailors and Marines.
On Nov. 29, the president stated that the airspace above Venezuela should be considered ‘closed in its entirety’ and intimated that land attacks would commence soon.
While the U.S. has capable air assets, the Center for Strategic and International Studies estimates that Venezuela’s dated but capable anti-air defenses, including 44 S-125 surface-to-air missile (SAM) sites, will mean that the U.S. “will probably rely on long-range strike and not overfly Venezuelan territory.”
On Dec. 7, retired Rear Adm. Mark Montgomery, senior director at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies’ Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation, told Fox News Digital that Venezuela’s anti-aircraft assets, fighter jets, and naval vessels could be overcome within the first two days of military operations. Montgomery also noted the possibility that a ground campaign inside Venezuela, with its population of 35-40 million, could turn into a counterinsurgency. He said that he would not recommend such a route.
Experts told Fox News Digital on Dec. 4 that Trump had few options left to oust Maduro without initiating a wider military conflict. Although economic and diplomatic solutions are still possible, military force, at least overtly, appears to be the primary venue for American power projection in Venezuela. Should military use escalate, it would assuredly involve greater participation from SOF personnel. As SOAA’s source indicated, they are well-prepared for the task: “SOF personnel constitute roughly one-percent of the one-percent of Americans that serve in the military. We are happy to serve American interests when the need arises”.
