Caracas. The Venezuelan people responded en masse yesterday to President Nicolás Maduro's call to enlist in the armed forces."Never again will the boot of any empire sully this soil. There is no air, sea, or land where the Bolivarian National Militia cannot reach. Let us step forward and protect what is ours," the president stated.

"As Commander-in-Chief of the FANB (Bolivarian National Armed Forces), I call for a great day of enlistment in Plaza Bolívar and military units near your community, Saturday, August 23rd and Sunday, August 24th. Let's enlist to be on the front lines in the defense of national sovereignty and peace," the president wrote on his Telegram channel, accompanying a video with FANB members.

Thousands of people—public employees, homemakers, and retirees, among others—joined the ranks of the military to demonstrate the nation's"firmness, organization, and resilience" in the face of a possible U.S. invasion, under the slogan #YoMeAlisto (I'm Ready).

"Have you served before?" a female militia member in camouflage uniform asks Óscar Matheus, a 66-year-old auditor. Matheus waited patiently in line until he reached the plastic registration table and told the AFP:"I'm here to serve our country." "Our country is calling us; the country needs us," said Rosy Paravabith, 51.

Once registered, volunteers are taken to a room where a documentary is shown about the European blockade of the Venezuelan coast between 1902 and 1903, following then-President Cipriano Castro's refusal to pay the foreign debt. The 2017 film shows armed peasants. Some are shooting, others are analyzing maps. Warships can be seen in the distance.

The Bolivarian militia, a civilian-affiliated unit of the armed forces that critics say is highly ideologically charged, has set up registration centers in plazas and military and public buildings, including the Miraflores presidential palace in Caracas, as well as the so-called Cuartel de la Montaña (Mountain Barracks), where the remains of the late socialist leader Hugo Chávez (1999-2013) lie.

Although it is not clear how many members the FANB has, in 2020 it had about 343,000 members, according to the International Institute for Strategic Studies (IISS), a size similar to that of Mexico (341,000), and only surpassed in Latin America by Colombia (428,000) and Brazil (762,000).

Venezuelan Defense Minister Major General Vladimir Padrino López praised the"patriotic response of the people to the United States' attempt to fabricate lies and false positives, in anticipation of a military attack," Telesurtv reported.

The South American government's call comes amid expectations for the deployment of three warships carrying 4,000 U.S. troops to the Caribbean to combat drug trafficking in the region, according to the Trump administration.

While a date for their arrival off the Venezuelan coast is unknown, U.S. sources reported that Washington expects them to arrive in the coming days.