Venezuela Mobilizes 4.5 Million Militia Members in Response to U.S. Military Deployment in Latin America

 

On August 18, 2025, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced a sweeping mobilization of 4.5 million militia members across the country in response to what he called "extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats" from the United States. This strategic move intensifies regional tensions after the U.S. revealed plans to deploy military forces, including naval warships and Marines, to waters around Latin America, particularly near Venezuela.

Speaking on state television, Maduro declared, "This week, I will activate a special plan to guarantee coverage with more than 4.5 million militiamen across the entire national territory—militias that are prepared, activated, and armed." He urged his supporters to bolster militias in rural and industrial sectors with "rifles and missiles" to defend Venezuela's sovereignty, territory, and peace. Maduro emphasized that no foreign power would "touch the sacred soil of Venezuela" or South America.

The Venezuelan militia, founded by Maduro’s predecessor Hugo Chávez, is officially reported to encompass about 5 million members, although independent estimates suggest the actual number is somewhat lower compared to Venezuela’s population of roughly 30 million.

The backdrop to Maduro’s announcement involves the U.S. administration doubling a $50 million bounty for information leading to his arrest, accusing him of leading the cocaine trafficking syndicate known as the Cartel de los Soles. Washington does not recognize Maduro's past two electoral victories, viewing his government as illegitimate and citing ongoing sanctions against him and his regime. The U.S. also launched intensified counter-narcotics operations in the Caribbean and dispatched an array of naval assets and military personnel.

Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello confirmed that Venezuelan forces are deployed throughout the Caribbean to defend national waters, which Caracas claims as sovereign territory. Cabello stressed, "We are deployed throughout the Caribbean that belongs to us, in our sea, Venezuelan property and territory," denouncing external narratives as fabrications.

The U.S. government maintains that its activities in the region are focused on combating drug trafficking organizations and preventing narcotics from flowing into the United States. White House spokeswoman Karoline Leavitt said President Trump “is willing to use every element of American power to stop the flow of drugs into our country and bring those responsible to justice.” Leavitt reiterated that Maduro “is not a legitimate president” but a "fugitive head of a narco-terror cartel" indicted in U.S. courts.