Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro has ordered the mobilisation of an estimated 4.5 million members of the Bolivarian Militia, calling on civilians to enlist over the weekend of 23–24 August. The militia is being integrated into 5,336 so-called Peace Quadrants—local security units that also involve police and community organisations—after what the government described as an emergency security meeting in Caracas. Caracas says the move is a direct response to the deployment of three U.S. Navy Aegis missile-guided destroyers with roughly 4,000 sailors and Marines in Caribbean waters. Washington maintains the ships are part of an anti-narcotics operation, but earlier this month it also doubled a reward for information leading to Maduro’s arrest to US$50 million, alleging the president heads a large drug-trafficking network. Vice President Delcy Rodríguez and Defence Minister Vladimir Padrino López oversaw mass enlistment centres in plazas and military bases nationwide, broadcasting images of long queues in central Caracas. Maduro said the expanded militia would "guarantee peace, national unity and territorial integrity" amid what he called escalating U.S. “aggression.” The regional reaction has been mixed. Trinidad and Tobago’s prime minister signalled support for the U.S. naval deployment if requested, while Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered "unconditional" backing to Caracas in a call with Rodríguez. The opposing stances underscore rising tensions as U.S. warships continue toward Venezuelan waters.