Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the deployment of 4.5 million militia members across the country in response to escalating tensions with the United States. This move follows Washington's decision to increase the bounty for Maduro's capture to $50 million and the deployment of three U.S. Aegis guided-missile destroyers to the southern Caribbean. The U.S. has also launched anti-drug operations in the Caribbean basin. Maduro described these U.S. actions as "outlandish threats" and declared the mobilization as part of a national security plan aimed at defending Venezuela's territory, sovereignty, and peace. The mobilization includes arming the militias with missiles and rifles and integrating them with civilian and police organizations. Maduro has called for a nationwide enlistment of the Bolivarian Militia scheduled for August 23-24, as well as the activation of over 5,300 "Peace Quadrants" across the country's 5,336 communal circuits. The Venezuelan government emphasized readiness to protect its land, sea, and airspace amid the increasing presence of U.S. military forces near its borders.