U.S. Military Conducts Rapid Response Exercise at Embassy in Caracas

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) — The U.S. military conducted a rapid response exercise involving Marines and military aircraft in Venezuela’s capital on Saturday, more than four months after the ouster of former President Nicolás Maduro. Two Marine Corps Osprey aircraft, which combine features of helicopters and fixed-wing airplanes, flew over the recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas and landed in the parking lot, creating a downdraft that blew tree branches. Forces descended from the aircraft during the exercise. The embassy stated on Instagram that ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both in Venezuela and globally. Venezuela’s government announced the drill earlier in the week, with Foreign Minister Yván Gil indicating that the United States would conduct the exercise to prepare for potential medical or catastrophic emergencies. This drill follows the U.S. reopening its embassy in Caracas nearly two months ago, which came after the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Venezuela after Maduro’s ouster in early January. Some residents of Caracas gathered near the embassy to observe the aircraft, while others protested the exercise, holding a Venezuelan flag with the message “No to the Yankee drill.” U.S. military aircraft last operated over Caracas on January 3, when elite forces captured Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, who were later taken to New York to face drug trafficking charges, to which they pleaded not guilty. The Ospreys involved in Saturday's exercise were identified as belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, currently deployed aboard the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Ocean. Marine Gen. Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, observed the exercise and met with senior Venezuelan officials and embassy staff during his visit to Caracas.