Defense Minister Padrino Condemns US Experimental Weapons; Venezuela Restructures Defense Commanders

Caracas (OrinocoTribune.com)—The Venezuelan military high command has implemented a strategic restructuring within its ranks, in order to strengthen preparations for foreign intervention, border security, and internal order. The strategic operational commander of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB), General Domingo Hernández Lárez, has formally announced on social media the renewal of military commands in the Comprehensive Defense Regions (REDI) and Comprehensive Defense Zones (ZODI) throughout Venezuela.

Through the institutional process announced this Wednesday, January 21, the military appointed 28 new commanders who will assume responsibility for safeguarding national sovereignty in critical regions of Venezuela, just two weeks after the US empire’s military attack against the country. According to Hernández Lárez, these appointments respond to the need to boost the institution’s operational capacity.

The new military commanders will be responsible for planning and executing territorial defense missions under the principles of civil-military unity. Furthermore, the restructuring aims to optimize the logistical and tactical response to the threats facing Venezuela in the current global context.

Renewal in strategic regions
The commander-in-chief confirmed that the commanders of the units with the highest geographical command will lead efforts in border and coastal areas. Specifically, Major General Pablo Lizano Colmenter will assume command of REDI Los Andes, while Major General Erasmo Ramos Iriza will command the Eastern REDI. These appointments are crucial for combating drug trafficking and smuggling in the border regions.

Various federal entities through the ZODIs will also have their command structures updated, as reported by Últimas Noticias. The officers designated for these tasks include:

• ZODI Miranda: Division General Rufo Parra Hernández (replacing Division General Carlos Eduardo Aigster Villamizar)
• ZODI Delta Amacuro: Division General Miguel Chacín Socorro (replacing Division General Richard Rondón Liendo)
• ZODI Yaracuy: Division General José Freitas Gómez (replacing General Luis Reyes Rivero)
• ZODI Monagas: Division General José Caldera Vivas (replacing Major General Romerl Enrique Romero Domínguez)
• ZODI Barinas: Division General Gustavo Belizario Sánchez (replacing Major General Pablo Ernesto Lizano Colmenter)
• ZODI Táchira: Division General Carlos Augusto Bastidas (replacing Division General Michell Leonardo Valladares Molina)
• ZODI Aragua: Division General Francisco Sánchez Carballo (replacing Major General Ángel Daniel Balestrini Jaramillo)
• ZODI Falcón: Division General José Herrera Duarte (replacing Division General Francisco Luis Moreno)

The high command also paid special attention to the protection of jurisdictional waters, appointing Vice Admiral Juan Solórzano Araujo to head the Eastern Maritime and Insular Operational Defense Zone, and Vice Admiral Uldren Gedde Díaz to head the Western Maritime and Insular Operational Defense Zone. With these appointments, the Bolivarian Navy reinforces its surveillance of the exclusive economic zone and the Caribbean and Atlantic trade routes.

Air bases and operational coordination
Resolutions 63275 and 63276 reflect significant changes at the country’s two most important air bases. At the General Francisco de Miranda Air Base in La Carlota, Brigadier General Fidel Humberto Olivo Pacheco Ramírez was appointed to replace Major General José Freitas Gómez. At the El Libertador Air Base (BAEL), Division General Marco Antonio Vásquez Pérez has replaced Division General Jesús Alberto Fernández Peñaloza.

The FANB has made these changes to guarantee internal peace through a more agile and coordinated deployment. Hernández Lárez emphasized that each of these officers possesses the necessary experience to meet the standards of the Organic Law of the Armed Force.

Laboratory for US weapons
On Thursday January 22, Venezuelan Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino explained that Venezuela has become a “laboratory” for weapons testing by the US regime. During the handover ceremony of the Venezuelan military academies, Padrino emphasized that on January 3, the nation was the victim of a systematic bombing directed by US imperialism and assisted by high-level artificial intelligence.

“The president of the US admitted that they had used weapons that they had never used on battlefields,” Padrino reported, “weapons that no one else in the world had. They used that technology against the people on January 3, 2026,” and that this aggression resulted in the kidnapping of President Nicolás Maduro and First Lady Cilia Flores.

Padrino highlighted the importance of the “Ayacucho Plan” to adapt study programs to these new realities. He reiterated that the new appointments, made under the instructions of Acting President Delcy Rodríguez, ensure the continuity of operational exercise throughout the national territory.

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Padrino declared that President Nicolás Maduro is currently a “prisoner of war” and demanded his return, describing him as an honest leader and a victim of baseless charges. “Our resilient and revolutionary spirit has fought yet another battle,” Padrino reaffirmed. “The sovereign and independence principles remain intact.”

Table with changes

Special for Orinoco Tribune by staff

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