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.
Most likely, you are correct.
The Chinese do a LOT of engineering and trying new technology, however they have few overwhelming successes.
Most stuff will work ok, with a little luck, but opposition's superior personnel and very good equipment will beat 'em most every time.
The problem is, there are so many of 'em, however, that's only in China.
What sort of defense posture were Venezuelan troops manning those systems on the night of the raid? That's important information to know if making the assessment that the China systems failed.
It was the right thing to do at the time, to offset the Russians, become friendly with China. But as it turned out the Russians weren’t as big a boogey man as the West thought...............
China thinks they live in a Saturday morning cartoon.
If it looks real, it’s good enough.
Who believes they can hit a moving aircraft carrier with a ballistic missile?
Among the casualties of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has been its arms sales. Russia used to be second only to the U.S. in arms sales. With the revelation that their tanks, warplanes, and air defense aren’t very capable, their arms sales have fallen. France is today’s #2 exporter of arms. Germany may soon displace Russia for #3.
https://www.businessinsider.com/russian-arms-exports-drop-amid-war-in-ukraine-2025-3
https://www.dw.com/en/german-weapons-exports-on-course-to-hit-new-record/a-69517153
We can suspect the same thing for China’s budding arms industry following the dismal performance of its air defense in Venezuela.
Hey Joe, Chinese ladal not wolk rong time.
How do you come to the conclusion about their ability to protect those areas? What do you believe it will take to knock out that dam?
That’s because ALL 4th gen aircraft are targets.
But F-35s are a game changer.
They could fly the entire length of the Ukraine line and not be hit by either side.
Russia is the biggest loser. The dominos are falling.
There has to be a boogeyman.
Our economy can’t function without one.
The generals and the murderous interior minister are still in charge there!
I am always amazed at people that want their lollypop now, just like little kids. Even so called conservatives think that.
Trump thinks in long term strategy and so should we. We should each be involved in something for the fight.
They would blockade not to invade. But what is more interesting is you, an avid gloBULList free traitor, wrongly assuring us how incapable the PLAN is. Guilty conscious?
Khrushchev once said that America’s economy won’t work without a war going on...............
Just don’t let them roll crepes.
He noticed that, did he?
Just like Cubans were providing Maduro with close protection services, which resulted in a lot of Cubans becoming unalived.
I think Russian and Chinese personnel were either operating the equipment or were onsite providing management consulting.
“The military was told to stand down.”
How else to explain that the Venezuelans got their teeth kicked in.
Hypothesis #1: We have, by far, the greatest military in the world.
1a. From halfway around the world, we bombed Iran’s nuclear industry in Operation Midnight Hammer.
1b. In 2003, we invaded Iraq and within a couple weeks overthrew Saddam Hussein.
1c. In 2001, a fleet of our B-52s obliterated the Taliban army.
1d. In 1991, we expelled Iraq from Kuwait in 100 hours.
Hypothesis #2. All this talk of how powerful is our military is all fake. We actually are as pathetic as Russia which cannot, after three years, defeat Ukraine. The only reason we seem to destroy the other side militarily is because it’s all prearranged.
2a. The appearance of U.S. prowess in Venezuela was fake. The person we arrested isn’t really Nicolas Maduro. He’s an actor. The Cuban bodyguards that we mowed down were dead bodies we brought to Venezuela to make it appear there was resistance. The Chinese air defense radars aren’t temu, they actually work. The photos of bombed military installations are all photo-shopped. What further proof is necessary?
Bkmk
Apparently so did Linseed Graham...........
And not much oil and gasoline is produced from local sources. To get this form of vital energy to sustain their economy, they have to fetch it from far away.
Say they make themselves formidably strong around their coast? How are they going to protect the long sea lines the oil must go through?
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