Taipei: A former Pentagon official said Tuesday that China is unlikely to succeed in capturing Taiwan’s leaders in a swift aerial military operation due to Taiwan’s extensive air defenses system.

According to Focus Taiwan, Kris Osborn, a former expert with the Office of the Assistant Secretary of the Army, wrote on the defense news website 19FortyFive that the U.S. capture of Venezuelan President Nicol¡s Maduro on Saturday was an example of a modern “decapitation strike,” intended to disable an adversary’s ability to fight without widespread destruction.

He explained that the operation relied on precise intelligence, surveillance, and strikes on key military targets and power infrastructure, enabling U.S. special forces to capture Maduro with “little to no unwanted damage.”

Osborn highlighted that while Venezuela has only “a small number of Russian-built air defenses, which appear to have been destroyed quickly by U.S. forces,” Taiwan operates a “much more extensive and elaborate” air defense network. This makes helicopter or aircraft strikes extremely difficult despite China’s intelligence capabilities.

The U.S. launched airstrikes in Caracas, Venezuela early Saturday and detained Maduro. In a press conference later that day, top U.S. military officer Gen. Dan Caine stated that U.S. helicopters carrying extraction forces entered Venezuelan airspace at night and at low altitude, while fighter jets provided cover.

Maduro was later flown to New York with his wife to face federal charges related to drug trafficking and alleged cooperation with gangs designated as terrorist organizations, allegations he has denied.