President Donald Trump told the New York Post in an interview that the military used a "discombobulator," but the Pentagon says he's confused.
A "discombobulator" is not a standard or officially recognized military weapon or device. The term does not appear in military equipment databases, Department of Defense documentation, or official weapons systems nomenclature.
The word itself is slang meaning to confuse or perplex someone, and it has occasionally been used colloquially or humorously to describe various non-lethal devices or tactics intended to disorient targets. However, there is no formal military equipment known by this name.
“The discombobulator, I’m not allowed to talk about it,” Trump said, but added that it “made [enemy] equipment not work” during the capture of Venezuelan politician Nicolás Maduro.
In a report Sunday, CNN cited a senior U.S. official who claimed Trump "may be conflating several capabilities into a single weapon that doesn’t exist."
According to the official, the U.S. military used cyber tools to "disable early warning" systems and the power grid. It also used acoustic systems to disorient Maduro's security on the ground.
CNN reported, "The US military also for years has had a heat ray weapon, called the Active Denial System, which uses directed, pulsed energy. It’s not clear whether that was used as well."
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt reposted comments on X from a Venezuelan security guard who said that the U.S. "launched something" during the attack and that it “was like a very intense sound wave.”
“Suddenly I felt like my head was exploding from the inside. We all started bleeding from the nose. Some were vomiting blood. We fell to the ground, unable to move," the security guard said.
The government hasn't revealed details about the operation to the public.