Maduro activates national defense command
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro has signed a law activating a new comprehensive national defense command, integrating military, civilian, and popular forces to respond to threats and reinforce state control.
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Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro holds a small copy of his nation's constitution during a ceremony marking the start of the judicial year at the Supreme Court in Caracas, Veneuzela on January 31, 2024. (AP)
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro signed into law the Comprehensive Homeland Defense Command legislation on Wednesday, marking a significant step toward consolidating military and civilian institutions under a single command structure.
According to a broadcast by VTV, Maduro signed the legislation and declared that "From this moment forward, with the signing of this law, all Comprehensive Defense Commands, which bring together all public institutions of the Venezuelan state, the military, and all popular power, must be activated at dawn."
The law mandates the activation of defense commands that bring together the country’s armed forces, police, and popular forces. Maduro emphasized the necessity of this move in the early hours of the morning, citing the need to protect the nation from both internal and external threats.
"If it were to come to us as a republic, as a people, to go into armed struggle to defend this sacred legacy of the liberators, we must be ready to win, to triumph through patriotism and courage," Maduro emphasized.
The legislation is designed to organize the country’s response mechanisms under the principle of “comprehensive defense,” reinforcing Venezuela’s ability to respond swiftly to any aggression amid US military threats in the Caribbean.
Earlier this month, Maduro endorsed a proposal by the ruling party to prepare for armed resistance in the event of a US attack.
Strengthening state control in face of foreign pressure
The new law is widely seen as a move to reinforce the authority of the presidency and the military in emergency situations.
In a related development, Colombian President Gustavo Petro ordered the suspension of intelligence cooperation with the United States on Wednesday, adding to regional tensions.
Venezuela prepares defense scenarios amid US escalation in Caribbean
Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said on Tuesday that the country’s armed forces are studying “various military scenarios” in response to what he described as rising US military threats in the Caribbean, warning that the situation affects not only Venezuela but “all of Latin America.”
In a public address, Padrino López stated that the national state, armed forces, Bolivarian militia, police, security services, and civil defense structures are jointly preparing to confront any “possible act of aggression from US imperialism if the moment comes.”
He noted that recent drills have included command, control, and communications exercises, involving regional and national defense commands. According to the minister, Venezuela is coordinating a system that integrates armed defense with measures to safeguard the economy, supply chains, and internal production in the event of conflict.
Padrino López said that around 200,000 soldiers have been deployed across the country in ongoing training operations.
