Venezuela Mobilizes Military Amid US Caribbean Build-Up
Venezuela announced a large-scale mobilization of military personnel, weapons, and equipment in response to the increasing presence of US warships and troops in the Caribbean. Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino López said the exercises, running through Wednesday, involve land, air, naval, and reserve forces. He described the deployment as a countermeasure to what Caracas calls the “imperialist threat” posed by the United States. The exercises include the Bolivarian Militia, a reserve force of civilians established by the late President Hugo Chávez and named after revolutionary leader Simón Bolívar. Padrino López attributed the order directly to President Nicolas Maduro and said the goal is to “optimize command, control, and communications” while ensuring national defense. Tensions between the US and Venezuela have escalated with the arrival of the aircraft carrier USS Gerald R. Ford in the US Southern Command area, accompanied by nine […]