Bolivarian Militia of Venezuela
The Bolivarian Militia of Venezuela is a militia branch of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Its headquarters is at the National Military Museum, Fort Montana, Caracas. The Commanding General of the National Militia is Major General Orlando Ramón Romero Bolívar, as of August 2024. The National Militia celebrates its anniversary every April 13 yearly.
Mission
According to the Article 46 of the organic law establishing the Militia, its functions are:- Enlist, organize, equip, instruct, train and retrain formed units of the National Bolivarian Militia;
- Establish permanent links between the National Bolivarian Armed Forces and the Venezuelan people, in order to contribute to ensuring the overall defence of Venezuela;
- Organize and train the Territorial Militia's personnel and unit to implement the comprehensive defense operations to ensure the defense of sovereignty and national independence;
- Contribute to the Operational Strategic Command, in the development and implementation of plans for integral defence of the Nation and National Mobilization;
- Participate and contribute to the development of technology and military industry, without restrictions other than those provided for in the Constitution of the Republic and the laws;
- Guide, coordinate and support community councils in the areas of competence in order to assist in the implementation of public policies;
- Contribute and advise on the establishment and consolidation of integral defence committees of communal councils in order to strengthen the civil-military union;
- Collect, process and disseminate information and consolidation of community councils, public institutions and private sector, necessary for the development of plans, programs, projects of integral development of the Nation and National Mobilization;
- Coordinate with the organs, bodies and agencies of the public and private sectors, the creation and organization of the Combatant Corps, which administratively depend thereon, in order to contribute to the overall defence of the Nation; supervise and train the Combatant Corps, which report directly to Headquarters, National Militia,
- Other duties specified by laws and regulations of the Republic as authorized by proper authorities and enacted by the National Assembly.
Organization
The General Command of the National Militia is divided in three branches of its own plus a fourth branch divided into the first two:- The National Reserve Service, consisting of all Venezuelan citizens who are not in active military service, or have completed national military service, or who voluntarily join the reserve units
- The Territorial Guard Component, consisting of all Venezuelan citizens who voluntarily serve to organize local resistance to any external threat to the nation. These are divided into the Special Resistance Combatant Corps, aimed at the wartime and peacetime defense of public institutions and state and private enterprises, and the Workers' Territorial Militia Components divided into:
- * General Employment Militia Detachments, the mobile quick action component stationed in all the states of Venezuela, metropolitan areas and cities
- * Territorial Employment Militia Battalions, stationed strategically in key cities and townships in Venezuela and areas of key importance
- * Community Militia Detachments, stationed in all townships and cities in all the states of Venezuela, mandated to keep the public order and defend government institutions and economical assets like factories
- * Rural Employment Militia Battalions, stationed in all public farmlands
- The People's Navy Branch, raised in 2013, which is the naval militia component that is mandated towards the defense of the Venezuelan coastline and territorial waters, itself divided into the Naval Reserve Command and the Workers' Naval Employment Territorial Militia Battalions, part of the TGC
- The People's National Defense Corps, raised in 2018, which serves as the operational reserve of the National Armed Forces in protecting public order and security
It is an autonomous and auxiliary force for the Armed Forces' service branches, with its own chain of command and service arms, reporting directly to the President, the Minister of Defense and the Operational Strategic Command. It can be estimated at the present time about 400,000 men and women are on various training levels. The target of its authorities is to reach 1,100,000 part-time servicemen and women in the coming years. Today more than 160,000 men and women serve actively in the militia, with plans to have a half-a-million-strong active force of reserve national servicemen and women in 2015.
Following the 2017 Venezuelan constitutional crisis and its subsequent protests, President Maduro announced the expansion of the militia to include 500,000 personnel, stating that the government would purchase a new rifle for each militiaman, with plans to increase its personnel numbers to about over a million active service personnel plus an undetermined number of reserves.
In December 2018, Maduro claimed that the militia grew by 1.6 million members. He said during a speech that he would extensively arm the militia.