Mission Miranda

Mission Miranda is one of the Bolivarian Missions (a series of anti-poverty and social welfare programs) implemented by current Venezuelan president Hugo Chávez. The program establishes a Venezuelan military reserve composed of ordinary Venezuelan citizens given light arms to defend the territory in an eventual invasion by foreign forces namely US forces. Arms purchases intended to supply the program (including the acquisition of 100,000 Russian AK-47 rifles) has provoked criticism from the U.S. and Colombian government over what seems to be an unnecessary increment of weapons in the hands of civilians. The Colombian government has also express concerns over the possible lack of control over the destiny of the weapons and the potential sell of the rifles to the FARC, since their guerrilla use the same AK-103 model of rifles.

Misión Miranda, as it is called in Spanish, was named in remembrance of Francisco de Miranda (1750–1816).