Exclusive: Operation Excalibur in Los Angeles Was Show of Force
By: Ken Klippenstein
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Leaks from military's LA deployment reveal Coca Cola vs. Pepsi rivalry, sweaty guardsmen, and abject failure
Ken KlippensteinJul 07, 2025788
Today's homeland security operation at the 35-acre MacArthur Park in the Westlake neighborhood of Los Angeles was a mere "show of presence," internal Army documents I've obtained say. ICE and Customs agents, many dressed in military garb, assaulted the Park, which the documents describe as a hotbed of "historic lawlessness" and "the founding location of MS-13," the Salvadoran gang.
The news media is describing the operation as an ominous crackdown, but National Guard sources tell me that it was a botched laughingstock. The military aspect of the operation, codenamed Operation Excalibur, has not been previously reported.
The documents reveal that the erstwhile justification for the operation was to try to shut down the distribution of fake IDs. The mission of the 1st Squadron, 18th Cavalry is described as protecting DHS [Department of Homeland Security] "security points and blocking positions" while they undertook their assault. The Squadron was ordered not to "restrict pedestrian movement" and not to "conduct law enforcement activities.")
Leaked copy of Army briefing
Per the briefing:
"On order, 1-18th Cavalry Squadron provides static interagency site protection, mounted mobile security, and Joint Force Land Component Command (JFLCC) Reserve support to Customs and Border Patrol (CBP) and supporting federal agencies, whose intent at MacArthur Park is to demonstrate, through a show of presence, the capacity and freedom of maneuver of federal law enforcement within the Los Angeles Joint Operations Area (JOA)."
Leaked copy of CONOP for Operation Excalibur
The operation was meticulously planned, the threat listed as "HIGH."
"Criminal elements, likely including FTO [foreign terrorist organization] MS-13 consider the park their home 'turf' and could escalate to lethal violence," a threat assessment warned.
Leaked copy of threat assessment
Then all that planning went bust.
Because ICE and CBP apparently failed to communicate or coordinate effectively, the military showed up too late (and Los Angeles authorities weren't notified until two hours prior.)
"We were on the objective for 24 minutes," a National Guard member told me. "Many of the phase lines were not reported because they didn't happen. So we parked and then left. Soldiers didn't get out of trucks. [They] stayed in the back of the 5-tons [military trucks] sweating in the heat."
This is just the latest operation that didn't go off as planned, amplifying the sense amongst the California Guardsmen that the whole spectacle is idiotic and shameful. Part of the reason for the confusion is the sheer number of government agencies involved. In this operation, according to the documents, nine different federal agencies (including the IRS) were given radio code names based on soda brands (Pepsi, Coke, 7-UP, etc.) —that is, except for ICE, which was codenamed "Inca," which may or may not be the Peruvian cola of the same name.
Leaked copy of agency codenames
One Army source told me that it all felt like some joint military operation overseas, where soldiers need to identify themselves as "friendlies" on congested battlefields.
Treating Los Angeles as a foreign country with insurgents to be defeated, military and homeland security intelligence views MacArthur Park as a viper's nest of illegality. An intelligence briefing produced by Army North, the task command overseeing military operation, says of the "symbolic significance" of the park:
"The founding location of MS-13, MacArthur park represents an area of historic lawlessness where criminal organizations openly defy local and federal law, including immigration law."
The Park, the same briefing says, is also "the largest open-air market" of fake IDs facilitating human trafficking in the entire Southwest. Per the briefing:
"MacArthur park functions as the largest open-air market of fake identification to enable illegal immigration and human trafficking in the Southwest United States. Entire sections of the 35 square acre park host open buying and selling of fake identification and other illegal goods in broad daylight. Federal agents confirmed that these activities continued at MacArthur park within the last week."
No word yet on the role of the junior varsity sodas — the Los Angeles Police Department or Pepsi and the Los Angeles Sheriff's Department or R/C (Royal Crown) — in this chaotic operation, but members of the Los Angeles City Council have previously contacted me asking if I could explain to them what the federal government is up to in the park.
Many of the soldiers involved, I'm told, view their mission as unnecessary and even ridiculous, with the Trump administration ordering the spectacle and the Pentagon leadership and chain of command smartly saluting.
Leadership, soldiers say, have been talking about establishing some kind of command facility akin to a "forward operating base" in the Park, an idea so provocative that the proposal keeps getting kicked far down the road. Below is one of several Army briefings on MacArthur going back to June.
Leaked draft briefing from June
Similarly last month, when leadership discussed during a briefing the idea of having Guardsmen wear masks similar to ICE and CBP, rank-and-file members groaned at the stupidity and bad optics for the uniformed military. The Guard, they said, should be seen as members of the community, not shadowy interlopers.
Mayor Karen Bass, as if an interloper in her own city, rushed to MacArthur park in her own SUV motorcade and asked the feds to leave. Bass told the Los Angeles Times that the feds needed "to leave and they need to leave right now, they need to leave because this is unacceptable."
The uniformed military I've spoken to seem to agree with her.
While military leadership is embracing the Washington-inspired mission, sources say, the rank-and-file see the California operation as more akin to Afghanistan: doomed to failure and ultimately withdrawal.
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— Edited by William M. Arkin
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Leaked documents only heighten the "show of force" aspect of the operation. The reality is they only need to show up and put on a show. Was it intended to scare people? You could probably bet your ass on that.
These types of operations will likely become more frequent to encourage self-deportation.
The leaked document warned about "collateral damage" to the innocent population around the park , if necessary. Is that what you want to see in American parks? This is insanity.
"An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure."
It was more of a heads-up to look prior to acting from the hip.
So they decided to conduct a military exercise in a park to intimidate the local populace, without regard for how it might disrupt city functions or frighten law abiding citizens. Not to capture bad guys. Just to flex on everybody.
Two hours notice to police, as if they were ordering a fucking pizza. Because there’s no chance they might be busy doing something else. No concern for any other activities going on in the area. Everyone just has to drop what they’re doing and get out of the way, aka run for your life.
Ahhhh, life in a sanctuary city.... exciting no?
My bad, sanctuary state. Run for their life?
From what i’ve read macarthur park has a lot of ms13 members and open air drug markets. It seems to me a logical place to target.
It doesn't appear to be a family friendly place.
Karen Bass Left Her Cake Out In the Rain: Video Disproves 'Kids' Were In MacArthur Park During ICE Raid – Twitchy
Doesn’t sound like a place i’d like to visit. You’d think the leaders of LA would want this criminal activity eliminated but that doesn’t appear to be the case.
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The Supreme Court ruled that the trump administration can deport criminal illegal aliens to countries that aren’t their original home countries like South Sudan. Here is a Win/ Win deport them to Ukraine with arms shipments.