Two U.S. Marine Corps Osprey aircraft flew over the American Embassy in Caracas on Saturday and landed in the parking lot, conducting the first military rapid-response exercise at the facility since elite U.S. forces captured former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro in January.
The exercise, which the Venezuelan government announced earlier this week, included Marines descending from the aircraft after they touched down. The maneuver was conducted to test the military’s readiness to evacuate embassy personnel in the event of an emergency.
“Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the U.S. Embassy said in a statement posted to social media.
Venezuelan Foreign Minister Yvan Gil had framed the drill in advance as preparation “in the event of medical emergencies or catastrophic emergencies.” The exercise came roughly two months after the United States formally reopened its embassy in Caracas, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations with Venezuela.
Those diplomatic ties were severed during the Maduro era and re-established after his removal. On Jan. 3, U.S. elite forces flew into Caracas, rappelled from helicopters, and took Maduro and his wife into custody. Both were transported to New York, where they face federal drug trafficking charges. Both have pleaded not guilty.
Saturday’s drill marked the first time U.S. military aircraft returned to Caracas airspace since that January operation.
Some Caracas residents gathered near the embassy compound to watch the Osprey aircraft perform the landing. A few dozen protesters gathered separately elsewhere in the city, holding a Venezuelan flag bearing the message “No to the Yankee drill.”
The Osprey is a tiltrotor aircraft used by the Marine Corps that combines the vertical takeoff and landing capabilities of a helicopter with the cruising speed and range of a fixed-wing plane. The aircraft are frequently used in military non-combatant evacuation operations.
The embassy’s rapid-response capability drills are conducted at diplomatic posts around the world on a rotating basis, according to defense officials familiar with the practice. The exercises are designed to keep military personnel prepared to protect American diplomats and citizens in volatile or unstable environments.
Venezuela has been in a period of transition since Maduro’s ouster. Post-Maduro authorities have signaled a desire to normalize relations with Washington, and the diplomatic reopening earlier this year represented a significant step in that direction. However, political stability in the country remains uncertain, and the State Department has continued to advise caution for Americans traveling there.
