Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro announced the deployment of 4.5 million militia members nationwide in response to what he called “outlandish threats” from the United States.

Axar.az, citing CBS, reports his move follows Washington’s decision to double its bounty on his arrest to $50 million over drug trafficking charges and to send U.S. warships to the Caribbean as part of anti-cartel operations.

The militias, originally created by Hugo Chávez, are officially said to number around 5 million, though the real figure is thought to be smaller. Maduro called on peasants and workers to form armed units “to defend the sovereignty and peace of Venezuela.”

The Trump administration accuses Maduro of running the Cartel de los Soles and has seized his assets, including a private jet. Meanwhile, three U.S. destroyers are reportedly headed toward Venezuela’s coast as part of a months-long military deployment.