Venezuela: And "What's Next" For These Red-Hot Defense Stocks

If there’s one key takeaway from the Jan. 3 U.S. special forces strike on Venezuela– which included the capture of that country’s president and first lady — it’s this: The escalating global defense storyline I’ve been telling you about since the launch of Stock Picker’s Corner (SPC) two years ago will continue to grow in power.

This is happening for reasons I understand better than just about anyone else. And that “understanding” continues to put money in your pocket as the stocks I’ve ID’d for you continue to surge.

Remember, one of the core beliefs here is that “if you find the best storylines, you’ll find the best stocks.”

In the military/defense/national security sphere, there are multiple intersecting storylines. And “Operation Absolute Resolve,” as the mission was called, can help show you exactly what I mean. The intersecting storylines driving this (and benefitting from it all) include:

The New Cold War, where the United States is squaring off with First Cold War foes like Russia and China, upstarts like Iran and North Korea, stateless threats and new battlegrounds like cyberspace and outer space. The White House wants to blunt nuclear capabilities for Iran, which is partly why that country again finds itself in the White House rhetoric crosshairs — as Tehran endures massive internal unrest. Because Venezuela reportedly used cutting-edge Chinese (and Russian) air-defense technologies — and because the U.S. strike seemed so effortless — America’s muscle-flexing also sent a message back to Beijing and Moscow: “Don’t Mess With Us.”

Deglobalization, which has each of the major powers working to shore up their regional economies and regional defenses. A growing interest in regional or hemisphere security. Just as Beijing wants the West and its allies out of the South China Sea, Washington wants China out of the Western Hemisphere — which includes Venezuela. And while actions like the capture of President Nicolas Maduro and Cilia Flores have many objectives, a key one is most-certainly a muscle-flexing display aimed at our rivals. U.S. President Donald Trump is already leaning on Cuba to “make a deal” or face consequences — echoes of the early 1960s, when Washington/Havana relations were also flinty.

The Artificial-Intelligence (AI) Era, which supercharges that aforementioned new “battlefield”— cyberspace. While security protections and the emotion fueled “fog of war” makes it impossible to know what specific technologies were used, it’s clear coordinated cyberattacks shut down the Caracas power grid, jamming to disable air defenses and information-gathering “spear-phishing” assaults were employed to pave the way for a Delta Force assault that’s still spurring debate and speculation a week after the fact. (In the last few days alone we’ve seen speculation about a disorienting “sonic weapon” — which some Maduro security team members are claiming caused internal bleeding.) Worth noting: The U.S. Cyber Command was publicly thanked for its contribution.

The Long-Term Commodities Supply Shortfall, which has kicked off a global rush to claim “critical minerals” — the key “ingredients” for the technologies of the future. With Venezuela, one of those minerals is oil, which Washington wants — if only to keep it away from China. Critical minerals — and especially rare earth minerals — are a factor in President Trump’s acquisitive comments about Greenland.

The Space Economy, which we’re expanding to include something I refer to as the “The New Golden Age of Aviation.” We’re seeing new pushes for flying cars, another attempt at supersonic passenger travel and, especially, drones — including pilotless aircraft for reconnaissance, electronic warfare, logistics (like aerial refueling), protection (as “loyal wingmen” to manned airplanes) and actual combat. Stealthy drones were reportedly among the 150 aircraft used in the operation; social-media posts included videos of a drone jet — its navigation lights blinking and landing gear already down — returning to its Puerto Rican base against a colorful sunrise (with roosters even crowing in the new day) after an intelligence/surveillance/reconnaissance (ISR) mission over Venezuela. Satellite technology was key to the mission — which is why the U.S. Space Command was credited for creating “a pathway” for the U.S. soldiers to get in and out unscathed.

I’m going to talk about the economic and investing impacts in a report later this week.

In the meantime, let’s take a few minutes to update you on some SPC Premium Model Portfolio stocks — including several that enjoyed a hot run late last year and here in early 2026.

Three Companies Surfing This Wave

Here’s a rundown on companies — and stocks — of interest, how they’ve performed and the all-important “what comes next.”

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