Maduro’s capture reflects growing role of cyberattacks and satellites in warfare

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Just before U.S. forces invaded the home of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Saturday morning, the lights in the country’s capital city, Caracas, went dark.

This was one of several non-kinetic effects, or non-physical modes of warfare such as cyber and space, that the U.S. military employed in an overnight strike to capture Mr. Maduro and his wife at their compound.

It’s also an example of the growing role of space-based assets in defence, and the willingness of major military powers to use tools such as satellites to disrupt or disable the critical infrastructure of their adversaries.

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In a press conference on Saturday, U.S. President Donald Trump alluded to his country’s use of cyberwarfare in its overnight strike, dubbed Operation Absolute Resolve.

“The lights of Caracas were largely turned off due to a certain expertise that we have. It was dark, and it was deadly,” he said.

U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth went further in the same press conference, stating that this was a signal to the country’s adversaries to “remain on notice.”

“America can project our will anywhere, any time. The co-ordination, the stealth, the lethality, the precision, the very long arm of American justice, all on full display in the middle of the night,” he said.

Mr. Maduro now faces drug-trafficking, terrorism and weapons charges in New York. Mr. Trump said the United States will exercise control of Venezuela for the time being, but it’s unclear through what means.

General Dan Caine, chairman of the U.S. joint chiefs of staff, said the attack on Mr. Maduro’s compound was the result of months of planning and rehearsal. The operation involved collaboration between the U.S.’s entire joint force, including the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines, Space Force and intelligence agencies.

In Saturday’s press conference, Gen. Caine referenced months of surveillance and reconnaissance, carried out by government bodies such as the U.S. National Security Agency, to gather information about Mr. Maduro.

They sought to understand, he said, “how he moved, where he lived, where he travelled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets.”

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In the months leading up to the strike, as well as during the attack, space-based assets were likely a key tool used by U.S. forces, said Aaron Shull, managing director and general counsel at the Centre for International Governance Innovation.

Mr. Shull said satellite imagery and geolocation data for precision-guided missiles are two examples of information from space-based assets that the U.S. could have used in such a mission.

For example, if the Navy or Air Force wanted to guide a missile toward a target, they would likely rely on intelligence from their Space Command colleagues to do so, he said.

Gen. Caine said the U.S.’s Cyber Command and Space Command played a key role in helping the more than 150 aircraft navigate and carry out their orders Saturday. This fleet included fighters, bombers and drones, among other support aircraft.

“As they approached Venezuelan shores, the United States began layering different effects provided by Space Com, Cyber Com and other members of the interagency to create a pathway,” he said.

Mr. Shull said it was surprising to hear Mr. Trump allude to the U.S.’s role in disabling lights in Caracas during the strike.

While information about this kind of capability is largely classified, Mr. Shull said the President could be referring to a type of pre-positioned malware that’s placed on an adversary’s critical infrastructure and engaged in the event of conflict.

Canada’s space sector recently asked the federal government for 5 per cent of the 5 per cent of GDP Ottawa is planning to spend on defence by 2035. Its sales pitch included the critical role of space in national security and the possibility that in any impending conflict, the country’s space-based assets could become its front lines.

Mr. Shull said the U.S.’s recent strike in Venezuela is further proof that technology, national security and defence are inextricably linked.

“Modern conflict is now technologically enabled in a way that even 20 years ago would have been unimaginable.”

In photos: Venezuela’s future uncertain after U.S. forces capture President Maduro