U.S. used cyberoperations in Venezuela as Pentagon seeks to integrate computer warfare

According to American officials, the United States used cyberweapons in Venezuela this month to take power offline, turn off radar and disrupt hand-held radios to help U.S. military forces slip into the country unnoticed and seize President Nicolás Maduro. The actions in Venezuela were described as part of a renewed effort to integrate computer network warfare into real-world military operations.

The Pentagon tested the approach in Venezuela and during strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities last year, officials said. Katherine E. Sutton, the Pentagon’s top cyberpolicy official, declined to discuss Venezuela or other recent operations but said the military was focused on how to integrate cybereffects into broader operations and had used those capabilities alongside traditional military power to “successfully layer multiple effects.” U.S.

officials said Cyber Command shut down transmission towers that supported hand-held radios, took some radar offline and turned off power, which made it harder for Venezuelan forces to identify or engage the American forces who entered the country, the officials said. Some critics questioned how important the cybermeasures were, citing Venezuelan government statements that the American military struck at least one power station and noting that Venezuela’s most powerful air defense radar had never been operational.