The Joint Chiefs of Staff history of the operation highlights…

Is he using “Joint Chiefs of Staff” as an adjective here?

That reality stands in sharp contrast to what the US military demonstrated in Operation Absolute Resolve. [...] The mission concluded with zero American casualties and zero loss of equipment. It was a near-flawless demonstration of a capability that takes decades to build and years to sustain.

So, sneaking works well at night, especially when one is allowed to ride in and ride out? Sure. Why would it not be different?

That success is even more striking when viewed against earlier US experience. Operation Eagle Claw remains a cautionary case of what happens when night operations exceed institutional readiness.

Indeed.

Suvorov, when on the subject of Tukhachevsky’s style of “strategical prowess” and covering flanks in Shadow of Victory (his book on Zhukov), mentioned a little incident on 23-31 Dec 1940, at the Red Army command conference. It went like this:

Ponedelin: [In the Winter War my] 139th rifle division have built robust defense on a front of 30 km having to the right open space of 50 km and to the left 40 km. The division covered a separate direction.

Budenny: Was there enemy ahead of you?
(laughter in the audience)

[Translated from transcript.]

Perhaps this one gets different when there are actually some solid enemy forces ahead, too.

Bob Sykes says:

P.S. The Venezuelan operation failed. The Maduro regime is still in power, Maduro is a national hero, and US oil companies want nothing to do with Venezuela oil.

Well, the operation is successful, on its objectives. But of course it was inherently counterproductive. Venezuela had faction tensions, but now those were allowed to play out. Also, the locals (and others) got a fresh and clear-cut object lesson that submitting to the demands from US does not improve the situation, as they simply won’t take “yes” for an answer and continue doing whatever they did.

As soon as you want to seize and hold land, you start at the battalion level, and move on up to the army group level.