Venezuela mobilises 4.5 million militias as U.S. warships approach
In a direct response to an increased U.S. military presence in the Caribbean, Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro has announced a plan to mobilise over 4.5 million militia members to “defend national sovereignty.”
This mobilisation follows reports that three U.S. Navy destroyers, the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, are heading toward the southern Caribbean with thousands of Marines aboard. The deployment is part of a major counternarcotics operation and comes after Washington raised the bounty for Maduro’s capture to an unprecedented $50 million.
Maduro and several of his top allies have been indicted by U.S. prosecutors for allegedly turning Venezuela into a “narco-state.” Maduro has dismissed these charges as a “rotting rerun” aimed at justifying foreign intervention.
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“This week I’m launching a special plan to ensure coverage by more than 4.5 million prepared, activated, and armed militia members across the national territory,” Maduro declared during a televised event.
He said this is necessary to counter what he called “extravagant, bizarre and outlandish threats” from the United States. He also urged his supporters to create more rural and industrial militias, stating, “Rifles and missiles for the rural forces! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty, and peace.”
U.S. Defends Military Deployment
While Maduro did not directly mention the U.S. bounty, he expressed gratitude for the support of the Venezuelan military. “The first to step forward in support of this working-class president were the military of this homeland, with their rifles, missiles, tanks, and planes,” he stated.
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When a reporter asked if the increased U.S. Navy presence could lead to a military intervention, White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt did not rule it out.
“President Trump has been very clear and consistent, he’s prepared to use every element of American power to stop drugs from flooding into our country and to bring those responsible to justice,” Leavitt said. She added that the administration views Maduro as “a fugitive head of this cartel who has been indicted in the United States for trafficking drugs into the country.”
U.S. naval deployments to the Caribbean are not new. In 2020, the first Trump administration launched a similar counternarcotics operation. This time, however, the mission is one of the largest since the 1989 U.S. invasion of Panama.
The New York Times reported that President Trump secretly signed a directive allowing the Pentagon to use military force against certain Latin American drug cartels.
The Cartel of the Suns, which U.S. prosecutors have linked to high-ranking Venezuelan officials, was recently designated as a “Specially Designated Global Terrorist” organization, making it a potential target for U.S. military force.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio also commented on the ships, stating, “Well, drugs are a threat to the national security of the United States.”
A Tense Standoff
According to Reuters, the U.S. warships are expected to arrive within 36 hours. The operation, which has direct backing from the White House, includes nearly 4,000 U.S. Marines and other assets like patrol aircraft and a nuclear-powered submarine.
A senior official, speaking anonymously, said the operation’s main goals are intelligence gathering and surveillance but noted that the units could also be used for “targeted strikes” if authorized by President Trump.
The Venezuelan Ministry of Communication declined to comment on the U.S. deployment, but Maduro issued a warning: “Venezuela will defend its seas, its skies, and its land in the face of the strange and unprecedented threat posed by a declining empire.”
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