The Minister of Defense, Vladimir Padrino López, led the military deployment starting at 4 a.m., which will extend until this Wednesday across the entire national territory. Photograph: Venezolana de Televisión.
Guacamaya, November 11, 2025. In the early hours of Tuesday, the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) activated the upper phase of Plan Independencia 200 with the mobilization of 200,000 troops across the country. The deployment is part of preparation maneuvers against potential threats from the United States, which maintains naval and air forces stationed in the Caribbean Sea.
The Ministry of Defense reported that the new stage is aimed at the “optimization of command, control, and communications within the framework of armed and non‑armed forms of struggle for the comprehensive defense of the nation.” Accordingly, the deployment “includes land, air, naval, riverine, and missile resources,” in addition to the mobilization of the Bolivarian militia and citizen security agencies.
Commitment to Strategic Decentralization
The measure falls within what has previously been announced as an order of strategic decentralization of resources and command systems, following the deployment of the Integral Defense Operational Zones (ZODI) initiated a month ago. The purpose is to reduce vulnerability to potential attacks, complemented by monitoring through drones and community patrols.
In line with this, the Ministry of Defense statement notes that the “Organs of Direction for Integral Defense (ODDI) will be fully activated in all states and federal and municipal entities.” Simultaneously, the National Assembly approved the Law of the Command for the Integral Defense of the Nation, as another step toward strengthening national defense.
The recent deployment responds to the context of tensions with the United States, also marked by the arrival of the USS Gerald R. Ford, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, to the area under Southern Command. This action reinforces U.S. military capacity from Mexico to South America, which has already resulted in at least 20 boats destroyed and 76 deaths in the Caribbean and Eastern Pacific.
Russia Denies Venezuela’s Request for Additional Military Aid
On Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denied that Venezuela had requested additional military support from Russia, beyond what was already agreed in the strategic accord signed in May, still pending ratification. The statement comes in response to reports from international media about an alleged Venezuelan request for military assistance from Russia, China, and Iran.
Despite Russia’s official denial of specific requests, the Kremlin admitted last week to maintaining contacts with the Venezuelan government regarding possible assistance, highlighting the existence of several contractual obligations, according to spokesperson Dmitry Peskov. Nicolás Maduro reinforced this stance by affirming that Venezuela and Russia are advancing in a military cooperation that is “calm and very beneficial.”
