US President Donald Trump’s high-profile claim that the American military possesses weapons «no one even knows about» has drawn sharp skepticism from military experts. Retired Colonel Mikhail Khodarenok, a military analyst, described the remark as, at the very least, ill-judged.

At the same time, he acknowledged that the US Armed Forces do, in fact, have classified military developments. According to Khodarenok, US special operations forces undoubtedly use specialized equipment during missions, but such capabilities are among the most closely guarded state and military secrets. He stressed that the effectiveness of these tools lies precisely in their secrecy and element of surprise, arguing that openly boasting about them undermines their very purpose.

Trump made the statement while responding to questions about the alleged use of so-called sonic weapons by US special forces in Venezuela. He declined to provide details, limiting himself to hints about unique American military technologies that, he suggested, remain unknown to the rest of the world.

On January 3, US forces carried out strikes on civilian and military targets in Venezuela. The country’s foreign minister, Ivan Gil Pinto, described the actions as an act of military aggression.

Trump later confirmed that the strikes had taken place. During the operation, US special forces detained and removed Venezuela’s sitting president, Nicolas Maduro, along with his wife, Cilia Flores, from the country.