Non-Subscriber Extract
Venezuela formalises national militia
By Inigo Guevara
09 October 2009
Venezuela's Congress approved a law that elevates the Bolivarian National Militia (MNB) to a full component of the country's armed forces alongside the army, air force, navy and National Guard on 1 October.
The MNB's role will be that of a territorial defence as it seeks to incorporate a large number of citizen-soldiers into its ranks.
The core of the militia will be formed around two distinct types of units: the Territorial Militia and the Combatant Corps. The Territorial Militia will be formed by citizens who register to receive military training and participate in communal defence councils, while the Combatant Corps is formed by state and private companies and their employees with some degree of strategic remit.