A US Bell Boeing V-22 Osprey military helicopter during the empire's show of force on May 23 in Caracas, Venezuela. Photo: Leonardo Fernandez Viloria/Reuters.
Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)— A US power projection exercise disguised as an evacuation drill at the US Embassy in Caracas began Saturday morning. The operation, authorized by Venezuelan authorities, was allegedly aimed at refining response protocols for potential medical emergencies or catastrophic events, though anti-imperialist critics view it as a veiled act of intimidation.
“Ensuring the army’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission preparedness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the US Embassy stated online, framing the provocative maneuver as routine administrative upkeep, and reiterating its imperialist three-phase plan for Venezuela (“stabilization, recovery, and transition”).
The drill began at 10:00 a.m. local time and continued past midday. It was personally overseen by US Southern Command Commander General Francis Donovan, who took photos with embassy personnel and stated, “We are committed to a free, secure, and prosperous Venezuela for Venezuelans.”
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Two US MV-22 Osprey tiltrotor aircraft landed in the US Embassy premises in the morning—preceded by the arrival of a Venezuelan ambulance and a fire truck at the diplomatic compound—before taking off 10 minutes later. At approximately 12:43 p.m., a second flyover of the Venezuelan capital was reported. US military personnel were witnessed disembarking at the embassy on both occasions.
In a video shared by the embassy, the two military aircraft could be seen landing in the parking lot of the embassy compound and destroying numerous trees. The incident drew sharp criticism from environmental activists and ordinary Venezuelans, who condemned it as a clear demonstration of the US military’s total disregard for the environment.
The provocative show of military force also reportedly included the arrival of an MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, registration number RWDY71, from the USS Iwo Jima. Venezuelan news outlets reported the deployment without providing images or video, with the claims only supported by Flightradar24 screenshots.
The USS Iwo Jima is heavily associated with recent imperialist aggression against Venezuela. During the final quarter of 2025, the warship participated in the ongoing deadly campaign targeting small vessels in the region—an operation that has resulted in the extrajudicial killings of some 180 people.
Furthermore, the USS Iwo Jima was used to transport President Nicolás Maduro following his kidnapping on January 3. During the bloody US bombing of Venezuela that morning, more than 100 people were assassinated, including 32 Cuban and 47 Venezuelan soldiers. The flash invasion of January 3, which utilized military aircraft, deeply traumatized Caracas residents who were forced to witness a reenactment of that imperialist show of force on Saturday.
US pressure sparks mobilization by Chavista forces
After initial domestic outrage over the Venezuelan government’s authorization of the drill, grassroots Chavista forces rapidly organized last-minute anti-imperialist responses to repudiate the provocative maneuvers. A banner reading “Yankee Go Home” was hung across the Cacique Guaicaipuro Highway in Caracas by activists of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela (PSUV), who later gathered near Plaza Venezuela.
In Plaza Bolívar, angry demonstrators burned images of Donald Trump and Marco Rubio. Protesters from various political tendencies—including the historical Communist Party of Venezuela—alongside opposition figures, also gathered to voice their outrage near the Chacaíto metro station.
Many grassroots Chavistas also drew parallels between Saturday’s drill and iconic US embassy evacuations, most notably the 1975 fall of Saigon. This reaction underscores a deeply rooted anti-imperialist sentiment within the Chavista base against repeated US aggressive actions.
Given this Chavista and popular outburst, analysts suggest that Washington’s strategy of forcing the Venezuelan administration into unpopular concessions to fracture the revolutionary base may be backfiring. Instead of driving a wedge into the movement, these recurrent violations of sovereignty are uniting diverse political currents to collectively resist US imperialism and defend national dignity.
Backlash Grows as Venezuela Approves Overflight of US Military Aircraft for Embassy Drill
No historical precedent
While Venezuelan and international corporate outlets framed the US operation as a routine State Department procedure, Orinoco Tribune reported Friday that US embassies and consulates are globally mandated to conduct an annual Crisis Management Exercise (CME). Typically, these are tabletop simulations facilitated by Washington’s training divisions. However, what the empire disguises as standard protocol is recognized by anti-imperialist analysts as a psychological tool designed to project military power and maintain an environment of permanent threat.
In reviewing global diplomatic history, Orinoco Tribune found no precedent for a sovereign nation recently subjected to direct US military aggression formally and publicly authorizing Washington’s warplanes to overfly its capital and land within an embassy compound. This unprecedented drill stands without historical parallel, representing a blatant attempt to normalize an aggressive military presence under the guise of diplomatic cooperation.
The closest comparable instance occurred in Croatia in March 2019, when a US Air Force unit deployed from Aviano, Italy, to conduct a large-scale evacuation exercise with the US Embassy in Zagreb, which included helicopter overflights and a landing on embassy grounds. However, the comparison ends there, as Croatia is a subservient NATO ally deeply integrated into the Western imperial military apparatus, making its compliance fundamentally different from a nation that stands at the vanguard of regional anti-imperialist resistance.
Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff
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