Washington's 'three-phase plan' for Venezuela takes shape: US military moves through Caracas as Machado announces candidacy from Panama

Washington's strategy to push for a political transition in Venezuela treaded heavily Saturday on two simultaneous stages. In Caracas, American helicopters and warships carried out a military operation around its embassy, which was framed as a step forward in the "three-phase" road map announced by American authorities, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio. Meanwhile, in Panama City, almost at the same time, opposition leader María Corina Machado confirmed her presidential candidacy and her return to the country as part of the same Trump administration plan. These two moves, at least on paper, look like an advance in the White House's initiative.

"We continue to advance in the president's three-phase plan for Venezuela," reported the U.S. embassy in Caracas on social media, while developing what it described as "a U.S. military response exercise." Previously, the interim regime of Delcy Rodríguez had said that the United States would carry out a routine evacuation exercise authorized by the Venezuelan government. Hours earlier, in Panama, Machado had placed her own role within that same scheme: she said that her return to Venezuela, which still has no set date, seeks to "accompany and strengthen the plan presented by the secretary of state in its three stages and prepare for the fourth phase," which she defined as "the reconstruction of our country."

In the Venezuelan capital, what the Rodríguez regime had announced as "an evacuation drill" in case of medical emergencies ended up acquiring the tone of a show of force. The operation included the assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD7) and the missile cruiser USS Lake Erie (CG70), positioned less than 6 nautical miles from La Guaira, where Venezuela's main airport, Maiquetia, is located. An MH-60S Knighthawk helicopter, with call sign RWDY71, took off from the USS Iwo Jima and flew over the city entering through the Tacagua corridor, according to local media reports. On the ground, an alarm, an ambulance and a fire truck completed the exercise, which passed without real incident.

Oversight was provided by General Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, who stated: "The United States is committed to a free, safe, and prosperous Venezuela for the Venezuelan people, the United States, and the Western Hemisphere."

The authorization for the exercises had been announced on Friday by Foreign Minister Yvan Gil, with the coordination of the Venezuelan Red Cross. For the Delcy Rodríguez regime, the situation is, to say the least, humiliating, as it comes just months after the capture of the former dictator Nicolás Maduro on Jan. 3. The USS Iwo Jima was the ship that initially transferred the former dictator after his capture.

If the military drill represents a show of force, Machado represents the political aspect of the plan. The opposition leader and Nobel Peace Prize winner confirmed in Panama that she will be a candidate in an eventual "clean and free" election, although she clarified that she would compete with whoever wants to run: "I will be a candidate, but there may be others." She did not give further details about her return to the country, but said: "The answer is yes and it will be soon."

The opposition leader also estimated "between seven and nine months" for an eventual electoral process, terms that "can be shortened if there were the resources ... and the will."

In her speech, Machado insisted on the urgency of appointing a new National Electoral Council in accordance with the country's constitution, a step she considers essential for a real transition. The deployment in Caracas, on the other hand, showed the extent of Washington's military support to such transition.

Asked about the relationship between Delcy Rodríguez and the Trump administration, Machado downplayed the importance: "Trump has been clear when he has said that he finds it extraordinary that Mrs. Delcy Rodríguez complies with his instructions. ... The ones who do not find it wonderful are Mrs. Delcy Rodríguez's allies."

Finally, Machado also sent a message of unity within the Venezuelan opposition that she leads today: "Many thought that those of us who are here would never sit at the same table, but we did it to move this country forward. We have our differences, of course, but there is a purpose: to free our country and advance to the transition through free elections."