Skip to main content
Work with the NEU
Venezuela conducts military and civilian militia exercises
A member of the Bolivarian National Militia brandishes a rifle during an invasion drill in Caracas, Venezuela

MILLIONS have been prepared to defend Venezuela in a “Bolivarian Shield,” with the country’s armed forces and civilian militia conducting exercises this weekend.

President Nicolas Maduro said that the two-day manoeuvres were aimed at fending off “terrorist aggression” from Washington and regional enemies seeking to undermine the Bolivarian revolution.

It was the first time that the exercises have taken place since a law change which incorporated the country’s national civilian militia into Venezuela’s official defences.

The 95th Anniversary Appeal
Support the Morning Star
You have reached the free limit.
Subscribe to continue reading.
Similar stories
Delcy Rodriguez
Venezuela / 14 August 2026
14 August 2026

Concessions to Washington by the post-Maduro leadership in Caracas are designed to preserve the core of the Bolivarian Revolution not betray it, argue Roger D Harris, Francisco Dominguez and Mara Paez Victor. How the solidarity movement responds is critical

THE RESOLVE UNALTERED: Venezuela's acting President Delcy Rodriguez, center, makes a statement flanked by Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello, right, and National Assembly President, Jorge Rodriguez, at Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, Venezuela on Wednesday
Features / 16 January 2026
16 January 2026

International solidarity can ensure that Trump and his machine cannot prevail without a level of political and economic cost that he will not want to pay, argues CLAUDIA WEBBE

Demonstrators protest outside of the White House in Washington, November 15, 2025
Latin America / 18 November 2025
18 November 2025

The global left must be unwavering in it is support for Venezuela as Washington increases its aggression, and clear-eyed about the West’s cynical motives for targeting it, says CLAUDIA WEBBE