National Militia / Milicia Bolivariana

Intended to "complement" the Armed Forces, the National Militia operationally reports to the President via the Strategic Operational Command. The militias' duties, in addition to national defense, include assisting the community councils ("consejos communales") to carry out public policies, train and advise the defense committee of the community councils, as well as process and disseminate the community councils' information to the public and private sectors "regarding plans, programs and projects for the development of the nation."

The 05 October 2009 approval by the National Assembly (AN) of 45 changes to the year-old Organic Law of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces returned the Reserves to the four service components and moved the "Combatant Corps" and Territorial Militia to the reconfigured National Militia. As part of the National Militia in the 2008 reform, the Reserves were operationally and logistically dependent on the President.

The Bolivarian National Militia of Venezuela [Milicia Nacional Bolivariana], named in legal texts of that country simply Bolivarian Militia , is a militia body composed of civilians, since its last creation, by decree signed under the enabling law by President Hugo Chávez in 2007, tto serve as a Complement of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB). The Bolivarian Militia has its own General Command with its respective General Staff. The Militia is subordinated to the Operational Strategic Command, which is its connection with the commander in chief of the FANB. In administrative matters it depends on the Ministry of Popular Power for Defense.

In accordance with the Law of Partial Reform of Decree No. 6.239 with Rank, Value and Force of Organic Law of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, it is directly dependent on the President of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela and Commander-in-Chief of the National Armed Forces Bolivarian in everything related to the operational aspects through the Strategic Operational Command and for administrative matters will depend on the Ministry of Popular Power for Defense. Integrated by the territorial militia and the combatant corps, it is a special body, as we have maintained, with the mission of complementing the Bolivarian Armed Forces in the Integral Defense of the Nation, thus contributing to its independence and sovereignty.

Under the Organic Law of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, Official Gazette No. 39.359, dated February 02, 2010 - Official Gazette No. 5.933 Extraordinary dated October 21, 2009 - Article 46. The functions of the Boliavrian Militia are:

1. Enlist, organize, equip, instruct, train and retrain the units of the Bolivarian Militia conformed.
2. Establish permanent links between the Bolivarian National Armed Forces and the Venezuelan people, in order to contribute to guarantee the integral defense of the Nation.
3. Organize and train the Territorial Militia and the Combatant Corps to carry out comprehensive defense operations aimed at guaranteeing national sovereignty and independence.
4. Contribute to the Strategic Operational Command, in the elaboration and execution of the Integral defense plans of the Nation and National Mobilization.
5. Participate and contribute in the development of military technology and industry, with no more limitations than those provided for in the Constitution of the Republic and the laws.
6. To orient, coordinate and support in the areas of its competence to the communal councils in order to contribute in the fulfillment of the public policies.
7. Contribute and advise on the formation and consolidation of the Integral Committees of the Communal Councils, in order to strengthen the Civic-Military Union.
8. Collect, process and disseminate information and consolidation of communal councils, public and private sector institutions, necessary for the elaboration of plans, programs, projects of Integral Development of the Nation and National Mobilization.
9. To coordinate with the organs, entities and dependencies of the public and private sector, the formation and organization of the Combatant Bodies, which will depend administratively on them, in order to contribute to the Integral Defense of the Nation; Supervise and train the Combatant Corps, which will depend operationally on the General Command of the Bolivarian Militia.
10. The others that are indicated by the laws and regulations.

Under Article 44 "The Bolivarian Militia has as its mission to train, prepare and organize the people for integral defense in order to complement the operational level of the Bolivarian National Armed Forces, contribute to the maintenance of internal order, security, defense and integral development of the Nation , With the purpose of contributing to the independence, sovereignty and integrity of the geographic space of the Nation."

The General Command of the Bolivarian Militia consists of two strata: the National Reserve, constituted by all Venezuelan citizens who are not in active military service (temporary staff of the other components), or who have completed military service or that voluntarily join the reserve units; and the militias themselves, which are composed of the Territorial Militia (geographical units) and the Combatant Corps (units made up of workers of a certain institution). The militiamen in these units fulfill periods of instruction, may be called before constitutional states of exception or possibly be able to be called to fill a position of military nature as temporary employment.

In addition to being divided into Territorial Militia and Combatant Corps, militia units are classified according to their objectives into three types:

1. General employment: Mobile units intended to operate in the territory of a state or a set of municipalities.
2. Territorial employment: Intended to defend a city or important objectives within a given territory.
3. Local employment: Intended to defend potential economic and political objectives of a given locality, or to collaborate in the maintenance of Bolivarian public order.

Milicia Territorial (Territorial Militia)

Officially there were more than 1,000,000 Milicia Territorial militiamen (Territorial Militia) registered at the beginning of 2015, that would make up 99 Areas of Integral Defense. But on 17 April 2017 President Maduro approved resources for the purchase of equipment for the members of the militia and its expansion to 500,000 members during the acts that were carried out in the Avenida Urdaneta of the city of Caracas for the anniversary of this component.

The members of the Territorial Militia routinely concentrate four times a month (weekends) to receive military instruction, during the week they carry out other activities, for example of social promotion, decided by the command, being able to also be summoned to concentration in case of necessity in front of other extraordinary occasions or emergencias. One special group within the Territorial Militia is called the Rural Militia, with its armament and equipment differentiated to the rest of the force. Each Territorial Militia counts on a greater plane formed by officers formed within the militia and the reservists, as well as officials.

The Territorial Militia or Milicia Territorial uses the same common uniform that is of regulation in all the FANB (the uniform designated "Patriot"). Its weapon of regulation is the automatic rifle of assault FN FAL Belgian, that comes to be replaced in the regular army by the AK-103 of Russian and local manufacture, that is the new standardized weapon of the regular Venezuelan forces. They also have machine guns, Mortars and 106mm recoilless rifles, as well as other equipment.

Militia Rural or Milicia Campesina

The Militia Rural or Milicia Campesina carries the Mosin-Nagant M91 / 30 Russian bolt-action rifle, a classic design of the late nineteenth century, which remained the equipment of units of the second Soviet line until the 1960s. Characterized by porting machete and using, at least in parades, typical vegetable fiber hats ("de cogollo"), as well as the uniform "kaki" that identifies the Bolivarian Militia according to the International Agreements of the Armed Forces of the Countries, the uniform has red lines next to it.