Venezuelans participate in a militia enlistment campaign called by President Nicolás Maduro, in Maracaibo, August 23, 2025. Photo: Humberto Matheus/Sipa USA/Legion-Media.
Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has announced that, following two massive recruitment sessions, the “first activation cycle” of the militia and reservists of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB) will begin on Friday, September 5. The objective will be to define the organizational aspects of the militia and the “mobilization of forces.”
“Tomorrow, for the first time in the country’s military history, we will activate the communal militia units (UCM) in the country’s 5,336 communal circuits,” the president explained in a televized address this Thursday, September 4, “which span the entire country.”
He explained that “each UCM will have a set of grassroots bases for comprehensive defense,” totaling 15,751, a number that matches the number of polling stations in the South American country. “It’s a very unique, pertinent, and very effective form of organization,” he added.
🇻🇪🚨 Maduro anuncia el inicio del "PRIMER CICLO de activación" de la miliciahttps://t.co/qmfCrKMsYf pic.twitter.com/ppp4izLrWg
— RT en Español (@ActualidadRT) September 4, 2025
President Maduro specified that this Friday’s session will address organizational matters and will include “the first induction into this new phase,” which will then be followed by “higher and higher levels” within the national defense plan.
“The goal tomorrow is to mobilize the 8.2 million Venezuelans who are in the national defense system,” he noted, “and, in addition to the powerful base of 4.5 million militiamen trained over the years, our newly enlisted men and women will be added.”
Permanent enlistment
The president also reported that, from now on, “enrollment will be permanent” and those interested can apply through the Patria System, a platform used by authorities to manage social benefits, conduct surveys on community needs, and gather strategic information on issues of national interest.
According to him, the authorities made this decision “because many people want to enlist,” but have been unable to do so for various reasons, including school holidays, work commitments, and because designated military recruitment points have been saturated.
He also took the opportunity to remind the audience that the National Militia is the fifth component of the FANB, which he described as “the power of the Venezuelan nation to build peace and defend itself from so many threats and psychological warfare.”
“We have the absolute capacity to make the cause of the republic triumph and the cause of peace triumph,” he concluded, “in any circumstance we find ourselves in, with or without threats.”
Last August, international media reported a US imperial military deployment in the southern Caribbean to allegedly confront drug cartels. The attorney general for the US colony, Pamela Bondi, also doubled the reward for information leading to Maduro’s “capture,” under the fictional accusation of leading a “drug cartel.”
Following the announcement of US colonial operations in the Caribbean, President Maduro called for mass military enlistment events over two consecutive weekends. According to official figures, 8.2 million people responded.
Caracas condemned the hostile actions of the US empire as an attempt to carry out a “military terrorist strike” to depose Maduro, after describing Washington’s military deployment as a “threat” to peace in Venezuela and the region.
Despite the increasing friction, President Maduro maintains “battered” channels of communication with Washington and expressed openness to dialogue with his counterpart Donald Trump, provided that the White House’s “gunboat diplomacy” does not prevail.
(RT)
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/AU
