Venezuela to deploy 4.5 million militia in response to US threats

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: News websites
20 Aug 2025 12:42

Amid heightened tensions with the US, President Nicolás Maduro condemned Washington’s sanctions and military buildup, vowing to defend Venezuela with militia members and new civilian brigades.

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Venezuela's President Nicolas Maduro waves during the opening of the XXIV ALBA-TCP Summit in Caracas on December 14, 2024. (AFP)

Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on August 19, during a televised meeting with governors and mayors of the Great Patriotic Pole Simon Bolivar and of the United Socialist Party of Venezuela, that his government is set to deploy 4.5 million militia members across the country in response to what he called “outlandish threats” from the United States.

This move follows Washington’s decision to double the bounty on his arrest to $50 million and expand what Washington claims to be anti-drug military operations in the Caribbean.

Venezuela’s Foreign Minister Yvan Gil slammed the bounty as "the most ridiculous smokescreen we have ever seen," adding that while Venezuela is cracking down on US terror plots within the nation, "this lady is organizing a media circus to please the defeated Venezuelan far-right."

“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory, militias that are prepared, activated, and armed,” Maduro said on state television.

The Venezuelan militia, created under former president Hugo Chávez, is officially estimated at nearly 5 million members, though Western analysts believe the actual number may be lower. Venezuela’s total population stands at around 30 million.

Venezuela mobilizes forces amid rising tensions

Maduro condemned what he described as “extravagant, bizarre and outlandish threats” from Washington. Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello echoed the message, saying Venezuelan forces were also deployed across the Caribbean to defend national sovereignty.

Earlier this month, Trump ordered US forces to intensify anti-drug operations in Latin America.

US officials confirmed that several Navy destroyers, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, will be deployed in the southern Caribbean “over the course of several months.”

Washington, which does not recognize Maduro’s past election victories, has long sought to isolate his government through sanctions and criminal charges.

Venezuelan militia and civilian mobilization

Maduro urged his political base to expand the formation of security forces within workplaces and rural communities.

“Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela,” he declared, adding that the deployment would ensure nationwide readiness against any military or political threats from abroad.

Maduro expressed gratitude for international solidarity against what he described as the “rotten refrain” of US threats, vowing to defend Venezuela’s sovereignty.