What is Delta Force and what do they do? Inside the elite US Army unit that captured Maduro

President Donald Trump confirmed that Delta Force — the U.S. Army’s astir elite counterterrorism and direct-action portion — carried retired the daring overnight cognition successful Venezuela that led to the seizure of dictator Nicolás Maduro and his wife.

Delta Force, officially known arsenic 1st Special Forces Operational Detachment–Delta, specializes successful high-risk missions involving the seizure oregon sidesplitting of high-value targets, arsenic good arsenic different delicate operations that necessitate speed, secrecy and precision.

The portion operates nether U.S. Special Operations Command and is typically deployed erstwhile missions transportation important governmental oregon strategical stakes.

According to Military.com, Delta Force is based astatine Fort Bragg, North Carolina, the hub of U.S. Army peculiar operations training. The portion has antecedently been progressive successful immoderate of the astir consequential U.S. subject operations, including the 2003 seizure of Saddam Hussein. The secretive portion besides conducted galore counterterrorism missions successful Afghanistan and elsewhere successful the Middle East, targeting elder al-Qaeda figures.

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U.S. subject unit basal aboard the Wasp-class amphibious battle vessel USS Iwo Jima portion docked astatine Rafael Cordero Santiago Port of the Americas successful Ponce, Puerto Rico, connected Dec. 16, 2025.  (Miguel J. Rodriguez Carrillo / AFP via Getty Images)

Delta Force is commanded by a elder Army officer, but the individuality of the unit’s person is besides kept classified, arsenic is the nonstop size of the unit. 

It is unclear however galore members took portion successful the Venezuela operation.

During the raid, U.S. Army helicopters from the 160th Special Operations Aviation Regiment, known arsenic the "Night Stalkers," flew the peculiar operations forces into Venezuela, officials said.

At slightest 7 explosions were heard successful Venezuela’s capital, Caracas, and low-flying craft were seen implicit the metropolis astatine astir 2 a.m. section time, according to reports.

The CIA provided quality to the Department of War that helped usher Delta Force to Maduro and his wife, whom President Donald Trump said were apprehended during the U.S. subject operation.

Officials emphasized that portion the CIA played a captious relation successful tracking and locating Maduro, U.S. subject peculiar operations forces carried retired the carnal capture.

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Smoke rises from Fort Tiuna, the main subject garrison successful Caracas, Venezuela, aft aggregate explosions were heard and craft swept done the area, Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026. (AP Photo/Matias Delacroix)

Trump told "FOX & Friends Weekend" aboriginal Saturday that U.S. subject unit progressive successful the cognition "did an unthinkable job."

"They rehearsed and practiced similar nobody’s ever seen," Trump said. "And I was told by existent subject radical that there’s nary different state connected world that could bash specified a maneuver."

Trump said helium watched the cognition unfold successful existent time.

"The full maneuver of the landings, the fig of craft — which were monolithic — the fig of helicopters, antithetic types of helicopters, antithetic types of combatant jets," Trump said. "We had a combatant pitchy for each imaginable situation."

"They conscionable broke successful and they broke into places that were not truly capable to beryllium breached into," helium added. "I’ve ne'er seen thing similar it."

Trump said Maduro was wrong a fortified residence but was captured earlier helium could scope a unafraid area.

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Maduro and his woman were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to beryllium transported to the United States. (Getty Images)

Trump besides said determination were injuries during the cognition but nary U.S. fatalities and nary craft losses.

Maduro and his woman were taken aboard the USS Iwo Jima and are expected to beryllium transported to the United States, wherever they could look successful national tribunal successful New York City arsenic soon arsenic Monday, Fox News has learned.

Fox News’ Rachel Wolf, David Spunt, Jennifer Griffin and Lucas Tomlinson contributed to this report.