China, Russia won’t ‘dare test’ US, says Hegseth after show of military might in Venezuela

Name: Trump pledges to keep Venezuelan oil flowing to China after Maduro capture
Uploaded: 2026-01-05T23:43:14.000Z
Duration: 3 min 31 s
Description: Trump pledges to keep Venezuelan oil flowing to China after Maduro capture

US Secretary of Defence believes show of ‘absolute deterrence’ sends clear message to their ‘enemies’ and the ‘world is taking notice’

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US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth arrives for a briefing with bicameral congressional leadership in Washington on Monday. Hegseth believes the recent US military operation in Venezuela proves that his country is rebuilding its military dominance. Photo: Getty Images via AFP

Khushboo Razdanin Washington

Published: 7:43am, 6 Jan 2026Updated: 4:52am, 7 Jan 2026

US Secretary of Defence Pete Hegseth delivered a stark warning to China and Russia on Monday, declaring that the United States is rebuilding military dominance to a level so absolute that its enemies would “not dare” test it.

Addressing shipyard workers and naval personnel at Newport News Shipbuilding, the nation’s largest military shipyard, Hegseth pointed to the recent US military operation in Venezuela as evidence of renewed American military readiness and the limits of non-American defence technology.

“We’re re-establishing deterrence that’s so absolute and so unquestioned that our enemies will not dare to test us,” Hegseth said. He added that under previous US administrations, the world had begun “wondering” whether America was still strong enough to lead. “Well, that’s over now,” he concluded.

Hegseth, a former Fox News anchor appointed by US President Donald Trump to lead the Pentagon, cited last weekend’s US military action in Venezuela, which ended with the arrest of Nicolas Maduro in Caracas, quipping that it “seems those Russian air defences didn’t quite work so well”.

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Trump pledges to keep Venezuelan oil flowing to China after Maduro capture

Venezuela’s integrated air defence system is built mainly on Russian technology, including S-300VM and Buk-M2E systems.

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China, Russia won’t ‘dare test’ US, says Hegseth after show of military might in Venezuela

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}US Secretary of Defence believes show of ‘absolute deterrence’ sends clear message to their ‘enemies’ and the ‘world is taking notice’

US Secretary of Defence believes show of ‘absolute deterrence’ sends clear message to their ‘enemies’ and the ‘world is taking notice’