Marine Corps
US Marines conduct rapid response exercise at embassy in Caracas
Stars and Stripes
May 23, 2026
The U.S. Embassy holds emergency and air evacuation drill in Caracas, Venezuela, on Saturday, May 23, 2026. (Pedro Mattey/AP)
U.S. Marines landed two Osprey aircraft on Saturday at the newly reopened American embassy in Caracas, Venezuela, as part of a rapid response exercise.
“Ensuring the military’s rapid response capability is a key component of mission readiness, both here in Venezuela and around the world,” the embassy said in a Facebook post.
Marine Gen. Francis L. Donovan, the commander of U.S. Southern Command, was in Caracas for his second official visit to Venezuela, SOUTHCOM said in a post on X. He took part in bilateral discussions with senior interim government leaders, met with U.S. Embassy leadership and staff, and observed the exercise. Donovan arrived in one of the Ospreys.
The U.S. formally reopened the embassy in March, following the restoration of full diplomatic relations after the ouster of then-President Nicolás Maduro in early January.
Squadron markings identifed the Ospreys as belonging to Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron 263, currently deployed aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean Sea.