Operation Absolute Resolve

Kharg Island, handling 90% of Iran’s oil exports, is a strategic target under the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps. U.S. military options include an air assault by forces like the 31st Marine Expeditionary Unit and 82nd Airborne Division, following prior strikes on Iranian military sites. President Trump has mentioned potential seizure of the island as a leverage point.

Gen. Dan Caine, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, visited Venezuela five months after a U.S. military operation removed Nicolás Maduro. The visit focused on stability, security, and implementing Trump’s three-phase plan for Venezuela, which includes economic recovery and democratic transition. The U.S. military maintains a presence in the region, with recent strikes in Caribbean waters.

The Trump administration's timeline details 60 lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific, resulting in 197 deaths (including 13 missing/presumed dead) and 5 survivors. Strikes were conducted by Joint Task Force Southern Spear under SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan, with notifications to the U.S. Coast Guard for search-and-rescue operations. The timeline includes specific dates and outcomes for the 56th through 60th strikes.

The U.S. military conducted lethal strikes against suspected drug trafficking vessels in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific starting September 2025, and captured Venezuela's President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 for prosecution. Legal analyses in the collection examine the operations' compliance with domestic and international law, including maritime law, head of state immunity, and presidential authority to use force.

A U.S. Special Forces soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, has been charged with using classified information from a January operation to capture former Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to win a $400,000 bet. The operation, dubbed 'Operation Absolute Resolve,' is now under investigation for misuse of sensitive data.

A U.S. Army soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, was arrested for allegedly using classified information about a military operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro to profit from $410,000 in Polymarket prediction-market bets. The Department of Justice charged him with insider trading, theft of government secrets, and fraud related to 'Operation Absolute Resolve.'

A U.S. Army soldier, Gannon Ken Van Dyke, was arrested for allegedly using classified intelligence to place $33,000 in bets on the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, earning $410,000 via Polymarket. He faces charges including insider trading, wire fraud, and violating the Commodity Exchange Act, with authorities emphasizing accountability for misusing sensitive information.

US soldier Gannon Ken Van Dyke was arrested for allegedly profiting over $400,000 from Polymarket bets tied to the US operation to capture Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro. He is charged with using confidential government information for personal gain and was involved in 'Operation Absolute Resolve', which led to Maduro's capture in January 2026.

A new analysis by Brown University’s Costs of War Project reveals U.S. military operations in Venezuela and the Caribbean, including Operations Absolute Resolve and Southern Spear, have cost taxpayers at least $4.7 billion between August 2025 and March 2026. The Pentagon has not disclosed costs, and researchers warn the figure is an undercount, with naval deployments accounting for $3.8 billion alone.