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Trump has stated that US forces used a weapon he called a "discombulator".
Venezuela's defense minister has leveled strong accusations at the United States, saying Washington used Venezuela as a "weapons laboratory" during the January 3 operation to kidnap President Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores. According to him, the US tested "advanced military technologies," including weapons based on artificial intelligence and systems that have never been used on the battlefield before.
These statements were reported by the Venezuelan newspaper El Universal, which quoted Minister Vladimir Padrino López as saying that around 47 Venezuelan soldiers were killed during the attack, as well as 32 Cuban soldiers, some of them part of Maduro's personal guard.
Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump has publicly commented on some of these claims, describing some of the operations’ promises as “special weapons.” In an interview with the New York Post, Trump said that US forces used a weapon he called a “discombulator,” adding that he was “not allowed to talk too much” about it. He stated that this weapon caused “equipment to malfunction” during the operation, without providing further details.
Trump linked this to an earlier comment, in which he referred to a “sonic weapon” that, he said, was used against Maduro’s Cuban guards. “Nobody else has that weapon. We have weapons that nobody knows about,” Trump said, calling the operation “extraordinary.”
On the other hand, the White House released descriptions from a Venezuelan national – a security guard – who said that during the attack they felt a very intense sound wave that caused some to experience headaches, nosebleeds and a feeling like their heads were exploding. This description has not been verified by international media.
However, military experts and analysts in the field say there is no evidence that the US has actually used new “magic” weapons or previously unknown devices. Military analyst Elijah Magnier from Brussels explains that the weapons often called “sonic” by officials or the media are actually highly focused sound systems, such as LRADs (Long Range Acoustic Device), used for crowd control, ship avoidance or base security, but they are not weapons that paralyze electronics or machinery.
Magnier points out that these devices can cause pain, dizziness or physical discomfort, but cannot disable radar systems or communication networks. Also, 'LRAD' does not destroy equipment, but is used to force people to move away through a powerful sound.
There are also devices like the Active Denial System (ADS) that use microwave energy to cause a burning sensation on the skin and force people to leave, but these also do not affect electronics or technical systems.
According to experts, real tools that have the ability to "disable" technical systems include:
Electronic Warfare : interference that jams radar, communications, GPS, or sensors.
Cyber operations: attacks that sabotage networks and industrial control systems (such as the Stuxnet operation against Iran).
Powerful directed energy microwave weapons (e.g. the CHAMP project), which can damage electronics without using physical force.
Carbon/graphite fiber ammunition that can cause blackouts in electrical networks and power outages.
Magnier points out that these technologies have been used in modern conflicts, but their testing does not necessarily mean that it was in Venezuela. He emphasizes that the use of such systems usually remains secret and limited, and the results are often misinterpreted.
In summary, Venezuela’s allegations of a “weapons lab” used by the US are exaggerated and appear to stem more from political rhetoric and speculation about military technologies than from verifiable evidence. However, the use of advanced military systems in contemporary conflicts is a reality, and major countries continue to develop and test new technologies on the global security stage. / Adapted from “Al Jazeera”
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