Venezuela's Maduro Says He Will Mobilize Millions Of Militia Members Over U.S. Pressure: 'Rifles and Missiles for the Working Class'

Venezuela's authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro announced Monday the mobilization of millions of militia members in response to increased U.S. pressure, including a heightened reward for his arrest and the deployment of U.S. naval forces to the Caribbean.

Reuters reported that three Aegis-guided missile destroyers — the USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson — were moving towards the area and are expected to arrive off Venezuela's coast shortly.

"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 in remarks broadcast on state television. The militia, originally created under former President Hugo Chávez, is officially said to number about 5 million, though independent estimates suggest fewer, as France 24 points out.

Without directly mentioning the U.S. moves, Maduro criticized what he called "the renewal of extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats" and thanked Venezuela's armed forces for their support. "The first to express solidarity with this working-class president were the soldiers of this nation, with their rifles, their missiles, their tanks, their planes," he said.

He also called for expanding worker militias in factories and rural areas. "Rifles and missiles for the peasant force! Rifles and missiles for the working class!" Maduro declared. "To defend the territory, sovereignty, and peace of Venezuela."

A U.S. official told the Reuters that the broader deployment involves about 4,000 sailors and Marines, P-8 surveillance aircraft, other warships, and at least one attack submarine. The assets, the official added, will operate in international waters and airspace, conducting surveillance and potentially serving as platforms for targeted strikes.

In February, the Trump administration designated Venezuela's Tren de Aragua as a foreign terrorist organization. More recently, the Venezuelan Cartel de los Soles was added to the list, with the administration alleging it is led by authoritarian President Nicolás Maduro. The administration also doubled its bounty to $50 million for his arrest.