Venezuela prepares personnel and equipment for a potential second US attack
Venezuelan military parade in July 2025. (Photo: Venezuelan government)
Defence Minister Gen Vladimir Padrino López has declared that the Venezuelan armed forces “will continue to employ all its available capabilities for military defence”.
The Venezuelan government, currently led by the interim president Delcy Rodriguez, has put the national armed forces and its arsenal in a state of readiness to promptly act in case the US conducts another attack against its territory or leadership.
Shortly after Washington’s offensive on 3 January 2026, Caracas declared a “state of commotion/external unrest”, which grants the Venezuelan president special powers to protect the country’s sovereignty, defend the nation and conduct full-scale missions.
The Minister of Defence for the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela, Gen Vladimir Padrino López, announced on 4 January that the law enforcement forces, national guard,
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