Maduro calls for militia as US destroyers head toward Venezuela

(NewsNation) — As three American destroyers sail toward Venezuela, President Nicolás Maduro says he is going to order the deployment of more than 4.5 million militia members around the country.

“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 announced on state television.

The militias were created by then-President Hugo Chávez to incorporate volunteers who could assist the armed forces in the defense of external and domestic attacks.

“The empire has gone mad and has renewed its threats to Venezuela’s peace and tranquility,” Maduro said at an event in Caracas, without mentioning any specific action.

US sending three destroyers

The U.S. is deploying three guided-missile destroyers to the waters off Venezuela as part of President Trump’s effort to combat threats from Latin American drug cartels, a U.S. official briefed on the planning told the Associated Press.

Reuters reports the USS Gravely, the USS Jason Dunham and the USS Sampson are expected to arrive in waters near Venezuela by Thursday.

Reuters also reports 4,000 sailors and Marines are expected to be committed to the Trump administration’s efforts in the southern Caribbean region, and that assets in the broader region would include P-8 spy planes, warships and at least one attack submarine.

The movement of U.S. destroyers and personnel comes as Trump pushes for using the military to thwart cartels he blames for the flow of illicit drugs into American communities.

Reward for Maduro increased

Earlier this month, the Trump administration doubled a reward to $50 million for the arrest of Maduro, accusing him of being one of the world’s largest narco-traffickers and working with cartels to flood the U.S. with fentanyl-laced cocaine.

Maduro was indicted in Manhattan federal court in 2020, during the first Trump presidency, along with several close allies on federal charges of narco-terrorism and conspiracy to import cocaine. At the time, the U.S. offered a $15 million reward for his arrest. That was later raised by the Biden administration to $25 million — the same amount the U.S. offered for the capture of Osama bin Laden following the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

Despite the big bounty, Maduro remains entrenched after defying the U.S., the European Union and several Latin American governments who condemned his 2024 reelection as a sham and recognized his opponent as Venezuela’s duly elected president.

The Associated Press and Reuters contributed to this report.