
Military parade in commemoration of the 210th Anniversary of the signing of the Act of Independence of Venezuela and Bolivarian National Armed Forces day.
July 5, 1811 is a celebration that is part of the memory when representatives of seven provinces of the country came together to end the prevailing political process and break with the Spanish monarchy, thus signing the act of Declaration of Independence of Venezuela.
The modern military institution was born in 1910, during the regime of Juan Vicente Gómez, who promoted several reforms in the armed body of the Republic:
1910 The operation of the Military Academy of Venezuela, which had been created in 1903, begins and, within it, the Nautical School (later called the Naval School of Venezuela).
The Military Application School is created for officers on active duty, in order to update their military knowledge.
1913 The Superior Technical Office is created, in charge of the elaboration of the military doctrine, the organization and the instruction of the Army.
1920 The Military Aviation School of Venezuela is created. It is installed in Maracay and inaugurated on January 1 of the following year.
1923/1930 A new Military Code is approved that replaces all previous military legislation and responds to the new political and military situation in the country.
This process is accompanied by the modernization of infrastructure, the provision of armaments, equipment, uniforms and a sustained growth of the military budget, a fact that is possible thanks to oil revenues. The reform has a marked German influence. This is essentially due to the fact that the Prussian army is the most modern of the time and, in this sense, it has become an international model.
In July 2005, Commander Hugo Chávez announced the new Bolivarian Military Doctrine, which would renew military thinking based on historical roots and an anti-imperialist ideological approach, which includes joint responsibility between the State and the people for a true civic-military union. :
The FANB is made up of active combatants, distributed in four (4) components, which are complemented by the National Militia, which is a special body of reservists organized by the Venezuelan State, made up of the Military Reserve and the Territorial Militia destined to complement the Bolivarian National Armed Forces in the Defense of the Nation.
The Organic Law of the National Armed Forces also indicates the operation of the Presidential Guard of Honor of Venezuela in its article No. 8, as well as its condition as the body in charge of the security, custody and protection of the President of the Republic as well as their direct relatives.
The main roles fulfilled by the Armed Forces are the defense of the sovereignty of the national territory, airspace, island, the fight against drug trafficking, search and rescue and civil protection in cases of disaster.