US-Venezuela Tension: Trump’s claim about a secret sonic weapon in Venezuela raises questions as experts see no verified evidence of such technology used in the raid.
President Trump discusses military technology after reports surfaced about a secret sonic weapon used in Venezuela (Photo: X)
US-Venezuela Tension: US President Donald Trump has confirmed the use of a “secret sonic weapon” by the US military during the operation that resulted in the arrest of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro. The confirmation has sparked renewed interest and skepticism about the raid and the use of military technology. It is reported that the “secret sonic weapon” was used to incapacitate Venezuelan forces during the raid, although there is no evidence to support its existence or use.
Trump said in a TV interview that the weapon was used in the January 3 operation and bragged that "nobody else" has it, although he provided scant detail. Publicly, Kremlin officials have asked the United States for an explanation of what the president actually meant by this assertion, underlining the diplomatic unease his comments have caused. There is also the question of how such a device would square with international law and military norms if it does exist.
But sonic and directed-energy weapons aren't just ideas on paper. Militaries have pursued devices that use sound or electromagnetic energy to disorient or slow people. These are more commonly referred to in defense chatter as either directed-energy or acoustic devices. To be sure, experts note the versions known today are primarily non-lethal tools-designed for crowd control or warnings, not to decide battles. And no sonic device has been verified to have produced those extreme physiological effects some witnesses testified to.
White House Spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt shared that she said was an account from a guard in Venezuela detailing an intense sound wave incident that caused nosebleeds and vomiting. Such reports have emerged on social media and some news outlets, but there is no independent medical or forensic evidence to corroborate them. Specialists say many of the symptoms reported could be explained by stress, psychological trauma or other uses of conventional weapons.
With Trump's claim now in the public domain, defense analysts and lawmakers, allies are pressing for clearer evidence on what technologies were in fact used. The broader context of the mission-objective electronic warfare tools like jamming radar, drone use-suggests the US went ahead to use a range of high capabilities. But without the declassification of verifiable information, the story of a "secret sonic weapon" remains an intriguing claim rather than an ascertained fact.
