Mission Miranda is one of the
Bolivarian Missions (a series of anti-poverty and social welfare programs) implemented by late
Venezuelan
president Hugo Chávez
Hugo Rafael Chávez Frías (; 28 July 1954 – 5 March 2013) was a Venezuelan politician who was president of Venezuela from 1999 until his death in 2013, except for a brief period in 2002. Chávez was also leader of the Fifth Republ ...
. The program establishes a Venezuelan military reserve composed of ordinary Venezuelan citizens given light arms to defend the territory in the case of an invasion. Arms purchases intended to supply the program included the acquisition of 100,000 Russian
AK-103 rifles which has provoked criticism from the U.S. and Colombian government over what seemed to be an unnecessary increase of weapon stocks.
''Misión Miranda'', as it is called in Spanish, was named in remembrance of
Francisco de Miranda
Sebastián Francisco de Miranda y Rodríguez de Espinoza (28 March 1750 – 14 July 1816), commonly known as Francisco de Miranda (), was a Venezuelan military leader and revolutionary. Although his own plans for the independence of the Spani ...
, a Venezuelan independence leader.
See also
External links
Official Website
Bolivarian missions
Paramilitary organizations based in Venezuela
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