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Report finds Trump considered using CIA ship interception system to non-violently disable Venezuelan oil tankers
Behind the scenes of US foreign policy United States, especially during the Donald Trump administration, details are emerging about espionage and special operations technologies that are rarely discussed in public. One of the most intriguing examples involves the CIA and a secret system that, by all indications, has the ability to disable ships non-violently.
The CIA system has been considered for use against Venezuelan tankers carrying fuel to Cuba, in an attempt to weaken both the regimes of Nicolás Maduro and Miguel Díaz-Canel in Cuba.
According to a report published in the magazine Wired, the idea was to intercept or sabotage Venezuelan fuel ships sailing towards Cuba, with the aim of undermining the relationship of mutual support between the two countries.
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This plan did not materialize, as the CIA refused to move the system to the South American region, indicating that the equipment was in another hemisphere and they did not want to risk its exposure.
Operation and speculation about CIA technology
The specific method of operation of this ship deactivation system is kept secret, but some possibilities have been raised by experts.
The first hypothesis involves the use of high-power microwaves (HPM) to interfere with ships' electronic systems, causing failures in radars, navigation systems, communications and engines, without the need for direct action on the crew or the physical structure of the vessel.
HPM weapons emit beams of electromagnetic energy, which can cause temporary or permanent effects on electronic devices, ranging from crashes to physical damage to control systems.
The US Air Force and Navy have programs such as HiJENKS that jointly exploit this technology for military use. One of its applications successfully demonstrated in tests is the destruction of electronic systems from a certain distance, which creates possibilities for stealth use.
Another possible mechanism would be the use of cyberattacks or electronic warfare. This type of approach could, for example, blind sensors or disable important industrial control systems, forcing the ship to stop. However, this would require some kind of access to the vessel’s digital systems.
System challenges and limitations
Despite its potential, the practical use of an HPM system for ship decommissioning faces limitations.
The short distance required between the microwave emission source and the target makes it difficult to carry out covert operations, especially against large moving vessels. In addition, there is a risk of exposing the source of the attack, such as disguised maritime or aerial drones, which could compromise the operation.
There are also physical methods that could be used, such as devices that obstruct a ship's propeller to force it to stop.
However, this type of approach presents greater logistical difficulties, as it requires high precision and, in many cases, direct contact with the vessel, which would not fit well into the context of a clandestine and non-violent operation.
Other examples and historical context
While the use of HPM and electronic warfare technologies against ships is recent, there are indications that the United States has explored non-lethal deactivation alternatives in other situations. In 2011, there were rumors that the U.S. government used “stun grenades” in Libya and “electric grenades” in Syria in 2017.
These devices allegedly had the ability to temporarily neutralize electronic systems, facilitating the advance of troops without causing direct destruction or civilian casualties.
These innovations reflect the United States' ongoing pursuit of asymmetric warfare methods in which it can target adversaries without resorting to lethal weapons.
In addition to making it more difficult to detect and attribute responsibility for actions, these approaches also offer political flexibility by limiting humanitarian impact and reducing diplomatic consequences.
Implications for the future of intelligence and defense
The existence of only one such system, as mentioned by the CIA, raises some questions. The technology is possibly experimental or has limitations in its development and applicability. This fact indicates that, despite its promise, ship-stopping capabilities still face challenges in being implemented more widely.
The possibility of expanding the inventory of HPM systems is something the US government is likely to consider, especially for use in high-risk operations or in regions where there is a large movement of sensitive cargo, such as nuclear materials or biological weapons.
In fact, the application of these systems is not limited to clandestine operations: they could be used for security approaches in conflict zones or in rescue missions, facilitating the control of suspicious vessels without the use of lethal force.
Finally, the ability to disable a vessel without firing a shot offers a great tactical advantage in “Visitation, Boarding, Search and Seizure” (VBSS) operations, which are common in special operations forces.
In these scenarios, the ability to quickly disrupt a vessel and neutralize its safety systems before boarding begins allows the mission to be completed with less risk to the crew involved.
Conclusion
While the Wired report provides limited information about the CIA's ship-disabling system, it illustrates the evolution of American military strategies toward less lethal, more technologically advanced tactics.
In a world where cyber warfare and electronic attacks are becoming increasingly important, the ability to disable a vessel without causing physical damage or alerting the enemy could be a valuable tool for U.S. defense and intelligence forces.
High-power microwave technology is one of the most promising in this context, allowing electronic systems to be temporarily incapacitated.
The practical application of these systems, however, still faces logistical and security hurdles, but development is likely to continue as these tools represent a new era of non-lethal and silent methods of combat.
The future may hold increasing sophistication of these systems, which would become a viable option for reducing the use of force in military, diplomatic and intelligence operations, with impacts still unknown for global geopolitics.
