Venezuela's military faces defining choice after Maduro capture

Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López announced a comprehensive review and adjustment of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) on January 4, one day after US Special Operations forces captured President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores during Operation Absolute Resolve. The announcement, framed as implementation of the "Ayacucho Plan," represents far more than routine military reorganization. It is the first institutional response to a power vacuum that has left Venezuela's armed forces as the sole remaining arbiter of the nation's political future.

The FANB now confronts a choice that will determine whether Venezuela transitions to a new political order, attempts to preserve the current power structure under interim president Delcy Rodríguez, or fractures into competing factions. Each option carries existential risks for an institution that has served as both the backbone and primary beneficiary of Chavismo for over two decades.