Venezuela strike marks a turning point for cyber warfare

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Dan Caine, CIA Director John Ratcliffe and Department of War Secretary Pete Hegseth monitor U.S. military operations in Venezuela, from Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, Florida, on Saturday, January 3, 2026. (Official White House Photo by Molly Riley)

By Maggie Miller • Jan 07, 2026

President Donald Trump and Joint Chiefs Chair Gen. Dan Caine suggested that the U.S. used its cyber might to plunge Caracas into darkness during the capture of Venezuela’s leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday — a stunning disclosure from the leaders of a nation that has long maintained a veil of secrecy around its sophisticated cyber operations.

Trump’s comments, made hours after the large-scale military operation, mark one of the first times a U.S. president has so publicly alluded to U.S. cyber efforts against other nations, as these operations are typically highly classified. It also serves as a stern warning for top cyber foes, including Russia and China, that the U.S. has the cyber capabilities to inflict serious damage — and is not shy about using them.

“Policymakers are getting more comfortable employing and, crucially, acknowledging cyber operations as tools of statecraft and military power,” said Michael Sulmeyer, former assistant secretary of Defense for cyber policy under the Biden administration. “It is one thing to do it; it is another to say it.”