Military Official (10:02)
Operation known as Operation Absolute Resolve was discreet, precise and conducted during the darkest hours of January 2nd and was the culmination of months of planning and rehearsal. We watched, we waited, we prepared, we remained patient and professional. This mission was meticulously planned, drawing lessons from decades of missions over the last many years. Decades of many missions over these last many years. This was an audacious operation that only the United States could do. It required the utmost of precision and integration within our Joint force. And the word integration does not explain the sheer complexity of such a mission. An extraction so precise it involved more than 150 aircraft launching across the Western hemisphere in close coordination. All coming together in time and place to layer effects for a single purpose. To get an interdiction force into downtown Caracas while maintaining the element of tactical surprise. Failure of one component of this well oiled machine would have endangered the entire mission. And failure is never an option for America's Joint Force. Those in the air over Caracas last night were willing to give their lives for those on the ground and in the helicopters. Let me talk a little bit about the preparation. After months of work by our intelligence teammates to find Maduro and understand how he moved, where he lived, where he traveled, what he ate, what he wore, what were his pets. In early December, our force was set pending a series of aligned events. Key was choosing the right day to minimize the potential for civilian harm and maximize the element of surprise and minimize the harm to the indicted personnel so as the President said, they could be brought to justice. And as the President said earlier today, weather in Venezuela is always a factor this time of the year. And over the weeks through Christmas and New Year's, the men and women of the United States military sat ready patiently waiting for the right triggers to be met and the President to order us into action. Last night the weather broke just enough, clearing a path that only the most skilled aviators in the world could maneuver through ocean, mountain, low cloud ceilings. But when tasked with a mission, this organization does not quit. At 10:46pm Eastern time last night, the President ordered with this mission President, good luck and Godspeed. And those words were transmitted to the entire joint force. Over the course of the night, aircraft began launching from 20 different bases on land and sea across the Western hemisphere. In total, more than 150 aircraft, bombers, fighters, intelligence, reconnaissance, surveillance, rotary wing were in the air. Last night, thousands and thousands of hours of experience were airborne. Our youngest crew member was 20 and our oldest crew member was 49. And there's simply no match for American military might. As the night began, the helicopters took off with the extraction force, which included law enforcement officers and began their flight into Venezuela at 100ft above the water. As they approached Venezuelan shores, the the United States began layering different effects provided by Spacecom, Cybercom and other members of the interagency to create a pathway overhead. Those forces were protected from aircraft, were protected by aircraft from the United States Marines, the United States Navy, the United States Air Force and the Air National Guard. The force included F22s, F35s, F18s, EA18s, E2s, B1 bombers and other support aircraft, as well as numerous remotely piloted drones. As the force began to approach Caracas, the joint air component began dismantling and disabling the air defense systems in Venezuela, employing weapons to ensure the safe passage of the helicopters into the target area. The goal of our air component is, was and always will be to protect the helicopters and the ground force and get them to the target and get them home. As the force crossed the last point of high terrain where they'd been hiding in the clutter, we assessed that we had maintained totally the element of surprise as the helicopter force ingress towards the objective at low level. We arrived at Maduro's compound at 1:01am Eastern Standard Time or 2:01am Caracas local time. And the apprehension force descended into Maduro's compound and moved with speed, precision and discipline towards their objective and isolated the area to ensure the safety and security of the ground force while apprehending the indicted persons. On arrival into the target area, the helicopters came under fire and they replied with that fire with overwhelming force and self defense. One of our aircraft was hit but remained flyable. And as the President said earlier today, all of our aircraft came home and that aircraft remained flyable during the rest of the mission. As the operation unfolded at the compound, our air and ground intelligence teams provided real time updates to the ground force, ensuring those forces could safely navigate the complex environment without unnecessary risk. The force remained protected by overhead tactical aviation. Maduro and his wife, both indicted, gave up and were taken into custody by the Department of Justice, assisted by our incredible US Military with professionalism and precision, with no loss of US Life.
