Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro on Monday said he would deploy 4.5 million militia members in response to the Trump administration raising the bounty on his head.

Earlier this month, the United States doubled the bounty on Maduro to $50 million over his alleged support for drug cartels. Accusing the U.S. of renewing “extravagant, bizarre, and outlandish threats,” Maduro announced the mobilization of the militia members to protect Venezuela.

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“This week, I will activate a special plan with more than 4.5 million militiamen to ensure coverage of the entire national territory — militias that are prepared, activated, and armed,” he said in an address on state television.

Maduro urged his supporters to create more rural and industrial militias to protect against perceived threats from the U.S.

“Rifles and missiles for the rural forces! To defend Venezuela’s territory, sovereignty, and peace,” Maduro proclaimed.

The Venezuelan militia, founded by Maduro’s popular predecessor, Hugo Chavez, is alleged by officials to contain 5 million people — nearly one-sixth of the entire Venezuelan population. Multiple sources reported that the actual number is believed to be much smaller.

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The mobilization also occurred in tandem with the deployment of three U.S. Navy destroyers to the southern Caribbean for a wide-ranging counternarcotics operation. The USS Gravely, USS Jason Dunham, and USS Sampson, supplemented with several thousand Marines, will be used as part of Trump’s ambitious plan to use the military to fight the threat from Latin American drug cartels.

Trump’s return to the White House has coincided with renewed belligerent rhetoric against Venezuela, a favorite target during his first administration. Maduro faces several federal charges in the U.S., including narcoterrorism conspiracy, conspiracy to import cocaine into the U.S., possession of machine guns and destructive devices, and conspiracy to use and carry machine guns and destructive devices.