By Néstor Rivero Pérez – Jul 28, 2026On July 28, 1954, Hugo Chávez Frías was born in the town of Sabaneta, Barinas, and would over the years forge political and military thinking that would reshape perspectives of regional integration in the 21st century for Venezuela and South America as a whole.No to colonial subjugationA scholar of the political thought of the Liberator, President Chávez Frías upheld the Liberator’s thesis regarding the need for the “Balance of the Universe,” thus firmly upholding sovereignty against any subjugation to colonial power structures relating to both the Holy Alliance of the Old World, and to the emerging metropolises in the American hemisphere.Thus, by examining his thought expressed through his letters, speeches, and proclamations by the Liberator Simón Bolívar, and on the occasion of the Coup d’État and Oil Strike in Venezuela in 2002—events sponsored by imperial power centers and their embassies within the country—Chávez in a speech delivered at the Military Academy of Venezuela in 2004 would refer to the antagonism between the approaches of the great Venezuelan hero and the founders of the USA. Chávez said: “The principal leaders of the USA proposed the absorption of Latin America, like Thomas Jefferson… and that is the big difference between them and Liberator Simón Bolívar.”People in armsChávez characterized the armed force—from its origins—with an expression from the Liberator Simón Bolívar, calling them “people in arms.” In this regard, Chávez stated, “Simón Bolívar and the Venezuelan people, along with their army, not only liberated Venezuela but also went on to liberate other peoples.” Referring to the Bolivarian and popular roots of the Venezuelan Army, Chávez paraphrased the Liberator, “Venezuela was born in a bivouac … The people are the army that has power—the army is the people with power.”Anchored in the Bolivarian heritage, the conception of the armed forces as people in uniform, as people in arms, as a just and redemptive will for the humble and the eternally exploited, is at the heart of Hugo Chávez’s ideology regarding the historical mission of the Bolivarian National Armed Force (FANB).Development and inclusionA key idea of Hugo Chávez on the military issue was to involve the Bolivarian National Armed Force in the fight against poverty and exclusion, in terms of their “active participation in national development” as provided in Article 328 of the 1999 Constitution, as a derivation of the principle of co-responsibility for “the progressive satisfaction of the individual and collective needs of Venezuelans,” contemplated in Article 326 of the same.Fight against povertyAccording to Hugo Chávez, the fight against poverty, which is a primary task of the State, has the FANB as a key player, when he stated that “in fighting for equality, we are fighting for sovereignty, for the security and defense of our homeland; it is a task of the Armed Forces … Before, you remember, we were sent to civic action.” He criticizes the opportunistic nature of that policy: “I was always a critic; you would arrive in a little town to distribute food, the dentists would go to pull some teeth, and well, that was it, until next year” (Speech, October 8, 2004).Chronicle of a Successful Model: Venezuela’s Social Transformation in the Chávez EraA continental forceAs an expression of sensitivity and awareness regarding the need for comprehensive unity in Latin America and the Caribbean, President Hugo Chávez promoted in 2008 the establishment of the South American Defense Council, created on December 18 of that year, with the mandate to implement “policies in the field of military cooperation, humanitarian actions and peace operations, defense industry and technology, training and education” [http://www.unasursg.org].The Defense Council’s aim is to create a zone of peace, as well as to build a common vision in the area of defense.“Total independence”In 2004, Commander Hugo Chávez extended an invitation to the Cadets of the Military Academy: “The battle is not going to be easy… but it is going to be very beautiful, to fight against so many evils, all concentrated in two great evils: poverty and denationalization; we are battling against both, and it is indeed difficult! … Get ready… for the fight for the total independence of our country.” (Diario VEA)Translation: Orinoco TribuneOT/SC/SH