Posted on 01/07/2026 6:34:37 AM PST by Red Badger
The success of a lightning-fast raid on Caracas raises new doubts about Chinese military capabilities, a military analyst said.
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U.S. forces stormed into Venezuela before dawn on Jan. 3 and captured Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, in a lightning operation that punched in and out of Caracas before its air defenses could mount an effective response.
The operation resulted in no U.S. fatalities and no loss of U.S. military equipment, U.S. officials said.
The U.S. mission—code-named Operation Absolute Resolve—has quickly become more than a political shockwave. Analysts have said it was also a real-world test of U.S. military power against a country that has spent years buying Chinese- and Russian-made air-defense systems and showcasing them as proof that it could deter Washington.
The raid raised uncomfortable questions for Beijing about the limits of the Chinese-supplied systems that Venezuela has leaned on—especially “anti-stealth” radar that China advertised as capable of spotting and stopping U.S. stealth aircraft, a military analyst said.
The analyst told The Epoch Times that the most damaging takeaway for China isn’t the failure of a single piece of equipment—it’s what the operation suggested about deeper weaknesses: corruption in China’s defense industry and lack of reliability of the technology and command structure meant to tie those systems together.
“A system built to look modern on paper and intimidating in propaganda falls apart under the demands of real combat,” said Yu Tsung-chi, a retired major general from Taiwan and former president of the Political Warfare College at Taiwan’s National Defense University.
He said Beijing’s performance claims often lean more on messaging than combat validation.
China condemned the capture of Maduro and accused Washington of acting as a “world judge,” in a blunt response that underscored how closely Beijing saw the fallout tied to its influence and credibility in Latin America. Operation Measured in Hours President Donald Trump ordered the operation at 10:46 p.m. ET on Jan. 2, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine said. Aircraft launched from about 20 land and sea bases across the Western Hemisphere, and the helicopter force approached Venezuela at roughly 100 feet above the water to maintain the element of surprise.
Within five hours, by 3:29 a.m. ET, U.S. forces had Maduro and Flores aboard the USS Iwo Jima, an amphibious assault ship. They were then flown to the United States.
This illustration depicts Caracas and the states in which the Venezuelan regime said U.S. military strikes occurred before the capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife on Jan. 3, 2025. Anika Arora Seth, Phil Holm via AP
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U.S. officials said the operation involved more than 150 aircraft along with integrated electronic attack and nonkinetic effects from U.S. Cyber Command, Space Command, and other assets to suppress Venezuelan defenses and clear a path for the helicopters.
Briefings described a layered effects approach: bombers, fighters, surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft, electronic warfare jets, and drones overhead; space and cyber support to disrupt Venezuelan systems; and strikes intended to dismantle and disable air defenses as helicopters closed on Caracas.
According to officials, aircraft used in the operation included B-1B bombers, F-22 Raptors, F-35 Lightning II fighters, EA-18G Growler electronic attack jets, E-2 Hawkeye early warning aircraft, and numerous drones alongside transport and helicopter assets.
China’s Systems
For years, Venezuela has spent heavily on Chinese and Russian equipment while claiming that it was building one of the region’s most modern defense systems.
In recent months, reports have highlighted Venezuela’s installation of Chinese-made JY-27A radar units, marketed as able to detect “low-observable” aircraft—exactly the kind of system meant to complicate U.S. operations involving stealth platforms.
That promise did not hold on Jan. 3.
Yu said neither Chinese nor Russian air-defense systems “made the slightest bit of difference” once the United States brought real-time intelligence, electronic warfare, and precision weapons to bear.
The real contest, he said, wasn’t just radar range or missile specs, but a fast chain of detection, communications, decision-making, and joint execution—exactly where weaker militaries tend to break.
Beyond radar, Venezuela has also displayed and fielded Chinese-made ground systems that Beijing has marketed abroad—from VN-16 amphibious assault vehicles and VN-18 infantry fighting vehicles to Chinese rocket artillery systems.
Venezuelan parades in recent years have showcased those platforms as symbols of a growing partnership and a tougher military posture.
But Yu said glossy displays don’t matter much if the wider network—sensors, communications, command, training, and logistics—can’t hold up under pressure.
Parades Versus Combat Reality
Yu said the U.S. raid on Caracas exposed the limits of China’s propaganda-first military culture—one that rewards polished demonstrations more than hard, repeated combat validation.
He said the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) has not fought a major war since 1979, and it studies foreign conflicts in part because it lacks large-scale, recent battlefield feedback of its own.
“You can look perfectly aligned and advanced on a parade ground,” Yu said, “but without real combat to back it up, it’s all just stage effects.”
The U.S. operation in Venezuela, he said, hit Beijing especially hard because the communist regime has spent years promoting its weapons and integrated combat systems as “world-leading,” using high-profile showcases—such as the much-hyped military parade in September 2025—to project confidence at home and deterrence abroad.
In that vein, Yu said, “anti-stealth” detection is a headline capability meant to signal that China can threaten U.S. airpower. But what happened in Caracas cut straight through that messaging.
Yu also pointed to reports that a Chinese delegation visited Venezuela just hours before Maduro’s capture, further spotlighting how closely Beijing and Caracas have aligned.
Corruption, Command Liabilities
Yu said corruption and “black-box” decision-making have weakened Chinese military readiness, partly because bad news gets filtered upward and procurement incentives reward appearances. He pointed to recent corruption probes in China’s military-industrial complex and scandals that have raised questions about quality control and readiness.
In a closed system, he said, procurement decisions often happen behind doors, with limited independent oversight and strong incentives to hide failure.
Beijing’s “military-civil fusion” model can intensify those risks, Yu said. Profit-driven contractors pay bribes to obtain contracts, substitute inferior components, and still meet paperwork requirements as long as money moves and reporting looks clean.
Even if individual platforms are capable, he said, the system around them—maintenance, training realism, logistics honesty—can be hollowed out.
He contrasted that with what he described as Washington’s preference for letting battlefield results speak louder than slogans.
Yu also said integration and command speed often decide outcomes faster than platform specs.
The U.S. advantage, he said, is not just technology—it’s integration and delegation. Once a mission is approved, U.S. operations are designed to push authority downward, giving frontline commanders room to adjust in seconds.
China’s command system, he said, is the opposite: rigidly centralized and politically constrained.
“No matter how advanced the equipment,” Yu said, “it still has to wait for orders from the highest authority.”
Centralization is a built-in lag, he said, which is costly in a fight in which delays are punished instantly.
Yu said he believes that Washington’s decision to capture Maduro was meant to send a message well beyond Caracas: to Beijing, to pro-China and anti-U.S. governments, such as Cuba and Iran, and to other Latin American capitals weighing closer ties with China.
He framed the move as a hard-edged application of the Monroe Doctrine under Trump’s second-term national security approach—prioritizing U.S. security in the Western Hemisphere and working to block Beijing-aligned influence from taking root further in Central and South America.
“Venezuela may only be the first domino,” Yu said. “Pro-Beijing regimes across Latin America will face growing pressure to choose sides.”
Cheng Mulan and Luo Ya contributed to this report.
There are reports that the Venezuelan military may have had defectors that helped facilitate this raid. If a system isn't operating, of course it will be ineffective.
OTOH if the system was operating as designed, there is a learning curve that can be used to understand it's failure and make adjustments.
The military was told to stand down. Not quite a startling accomplishment.
When I was a boy, we couldn’t buy anything made in Red China.
Ahh, those words are music to my ears.
Did the author HAVE to tell 'em how?
The longer the Chinese don't know, the more American lives saved.
No mention of simple continual jet noise used to drown the approach of loud, low flying helicopters.
They sure didn’t hear that coming !
I hope, they have some plan.
Comies are dictature of a group. Removing one means nothing.
Within the ruling group, they are just waiting for the ruler to die so the next one can get promotion.
Lenin died, Stalin came in, then Khrushchev and Brezhnev.
Fidel finally died, but Cuba is even worse now.
Chavez died and Maduro stepped in.
Diosdado Cabello is now in charge in Venezuela, as he was even before Maduro. He is the murderer behind all the crimes of last 25 years!
The Chinese likely knew when they sold them the junk.............
Then came Nixon.................
The systems usually come with operators.
Although China has spent hundreds of billions of dollars researching,, building ships, missles, aircraft, radar and weapon systems they have not invaded Taiwan. After Putin’s disaster in Ukraine, Xi has little confidence that his one child, combat inexperienced armed forces equipped with untested weapons could successfully cross 90 miles of open ocean and overtake Taiwan. It is probably impossible if the people of Taiwan put up a stout resistance. If China invaded, failed and took huge casualties, the political reprecussions within China would be enormous. Xi, his family and syncophants would be deposd and probably killed, the military might stage a coup to rid the country of “corruption”.
The failure of Chinese radar in Venezuela is greatly appreciated by Xi. That failure has enhanced the security of Taiwan.
” yet Ukraine’s F-16 are STILL staying clear of combat zones. Hard to have it both ways.”
As someone who spent much of his adult life flying F16s, that comment doesn’t make sense.
The Viper is a great plane, but a 4th Generation fighter. It is not stealth, at all. As such, it would need a full SEAD contingent of stealth aircraft, support aircraft, long range anti-radiation missiles, and persistent ISR and EW support to move over enemy-held territory. Ukraine has none of that. Or at least, very little.
To top it off, they have few planes and fewer qualified pilots, making them much more valuable in the role of defense against drones, missiles, or firing stand off munitions (e.g., AMRAAMs, or potentially JSOW) from friendly airspace.
And this is a role where the Viper is doing very well.
Loved how well your Navy F-18 Growlers preformed. In the Air Force we have the EC‑130H Compass Call, which uses a C-130 platform, and we are switching over to the EC‑37B Compass Call, which uses a Learjet platform. Still, the Growler package is the best in the world!
“The Chinese likely knew when they sold them the junk............”
No, they are shocked. The Han Chinese are literally the most racist people on the planet. They are 100% self-assured of their moral and genetic superiority.
Make the Nazis look like amateurs in their delusions of grandeur.
“The military was told to stand down. Not quite a startling accomplishment.”
Perhaps in a limited “how-good-are-the-defense-radars” sense. In a “do-we-win” sense, maybe the best tactical victory of all?
China has absolutely no capability to mount an invasion, much less a sustained invasion of Taiwan.
China lacks the capability to protect Shanghai or the Pearl River Delta cities from annellation the instant Taiwan invasion forces are at sea. And then there is the previously targeted dam upstream on the Yangtse river.
China doesn’t dare actually try to invade Taiwan
And........ there are 27 navies patrolling the East and South China seas to boot
The VE AA suck is reminiscent of Desert Storm wherein we (Army helo aircrews) were told to expect fierce (Soviet-supplied) AA defenses.
Expectations were as much as 50% losses.
Pucker factor was very high for the first few missions starting 16 Jan, 1991. On one infil, the APR-39 indicated a a very brief radar lock by a ZSU-23-4. We broke it and they missed.
After multiple night-time missions, we realized the Iraqis and equipment sucked. They shot at sound, didn’t know how to “lead”, and couldn’t operate the AA systems effectively.
Yes, aircraft were shot down, but nowhere near the numbers estimated.
My greatest concern became the flocks of waterfowl that were wintering in the Euphrates delta / waterways. Thumped quite a few with the H-60 to include a bull sprig.
Why is anyone surprised? Everything China makes is substandard. That New military jet they came out with is another example. When you fire the rockets the wings want to come off.
Then I would expect a mass firing and possibly executions in the Chinese Military-Industrial Complex in the next few weeks.............
I still don’t know if he did the right thing.
China was given a seat at the Table and didn’t have to change a thing.
They just kept being Commies.
Carville’s meme applies. “It’s the economy, stupid.+...which for VZ is about to crash with no oil or drug revenue, and no paychecks for military.
When the military flips allegiance, the remaining Chavistas are done....won’t be all that long, imho.
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