Venezuela will incorporate the Bolivarian Militias into the National Armed Forces (NAF), Venezuelan Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel said Dec. 14. The move is being made in the name of defending Venezuela "house by house" against U.S. aggression for oil possession. Despite the anti-imperial rhetoric, this shift in the Venezuelan armed forces fits perfectly into Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez's political insurance policy. Chavez included two amendments centered on redefining the army and integrating militias into the armed forces in his package of reforms that was shot down in a Dec. 3 public referendum. Article 328 on the definition of the military currently states, "The National Armed Forces constitute an essentially professional institution, politically unaligned, organized by the state to guarantee the independence and sovereignty of the nation.