Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced on Monday the deployment of 4.5 million militia members across the country, describing the move as a response to what he called growing “threats” from the United States.

“This week, I will activate a special plan to mobilize over 4.5 million militiamen to secure every part of the national territory,” Maduro said, emphasizing that the force would consist of “prepared, active and armed” members.

The announcement comes days after Washington doubled the reward for Maduro’s capture to $50 million, accusing him of leading a drug trafficking cartel — allegations he dismissed as “exaggerated and absurd.”

The Venezuelan militia was originally established by the late President Hugo Chávez, Maduro’s political mentor. According to official figures, it includes around five million members, mostly civilian volunteers and reservists, under the command of the armed forces.

Maduro vowed to further arm workers and farmers with rifles and missiles, insisting they must be ready “to defend territorial integrity, national sovereignty and peace” in Venezuela.

The U.S. Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, announced last week that Washington had deployed naval and air forces to the Caribbean as part of a counter-narcotics operation. The move, coupled with the increased bounty on Maduro, has sharply escalated tensions between Caracas and Washington.

Responding to the U.S. actions, Venezuela’s Interior Minister Diosdado Cabello argued that the country already has forces stationed throughout its own waters and land in the Caribbean, asserting: “These territories belong to Venezuela.”