Venezuela To Respond Strongly Against Promoters of Military Intervention
President Nicolas Maduro (L) Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino (C), Jan. 23, 2025. X/ @kairodavid1989
January 23, 2025 Hour: 9:32 am
The FANB is willing to defend our territorial integrity, sovereignty, freedom, and democracy, Minister Padrino Lopez stated.
On Wednesday, Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez stated that the Bolivarian National Armed Forces (FANB) will respond decisively against those who call for a military intervention against Venezuela.
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“The FANB is willing to defend our territorial integrity, our sovereignty, our freedom, our democracy, our Constitution,” he said in a video posted on Instagram.
His statements come during a deployment with tanks and military troops as part of Bolivarian Shield 2025, a military exercise aimed at achieving synchronization of all Venezuelan weapons systems.
“We are checking communications, the cohesion of the personnel, the training, and the morale of the troops,” the Bolivarian defense minister said.
Since Wednesday, Venezuela has mobilized about 150,000 troops across its territory for this year’s first military and police exercises, which aim to defend internal order.
FANB Strategic Operational Commander Domingo Hernandez Larez indicated that 290 exercises are taking place in Caracas and in each of the 23 states of the country, where governors and military leaders have their own “territorial priorities.”
He explained that these exercises are designed for border control and defense by “air, sea, and land,” to protect national infrastructure and basic service facilities, and to ensure security at ports and airports.
“The military drills also aim to assess the levels of operational readiness for military and integrated defense in armed and unarmed struggle,” Hernandez Larez added.
On Monday, Padrino confirmed that Bolivarian Shield 2025, which seeks to “make the homeland impregnable,” involves the mobilization of 159 naval assets, 50 aircraft, and 250 heavy military vehicles.
teleSUR/ JF Sources: EFE – FANB