Venezuela — Military Capability Assessment
Force structure, readiness, power projection, and deterrence: the Bureau’s strategic assessment of Venezuela’s military capability — scored 0–100 across 24 causal dimensions.
Last updated: October 2026
Stronger than 19% of the 195 ranked countries.
Nearest neighbors
| Rank | Country | Score |
|---|---|---|
| #155 | Bahrain | 28.9/100 |
| #156 | Oman | 28.8/100 |
| #157 | Venezuela (you) | 28.8/100 |
| #158 | Afghanistan | 28.7/100 |
| #159 | Lesotho | 28.7/100 |
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Why this score — the assessment, decomposed
The 28.75/100 rests first on Force mass (58.87), Land warfare (52.90), Readiness & training (45.00). The binding constraints: Air power (8.00), Submarine force (8.00), Nuclear survivability (6.50) — in a causal model, capability can never rise above its weakest observed link. What would move the needle: Air power (8.00) — the weak link in the spending → equipment → readiness → capability chain.
- Alliance architecture adds a +4.20 bonus.
- Nuclear deterrence contributes a capped +0.56 bonus — it cannot manufacture top-tier conventional standing on its own.
- Force mass is capped by what equipment, training and sustainment can actually support — headcount alone scores nothing.
7 of 24 dimensions could not be observed (ISR & intelligence, Missile forces, Air defense, Cyber & space, Strategic lift, Overseas basing…); missing data caps the score — it never inflates it.
The six sub-scores
All 24 causal dimensions
Assessment coverage: 73.9% — 17 of 24 dimensions observed. Military assessment, run 2026-10-04; evidence snapshot: CIA World Factbook 2026-09-28, SIPRI arms-producer revenue, nuclear taxonomy.
Air power
Kernel assessment: Air power 8.00/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Land power
Kernel assessment: Land warfare 52.90/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Sea power
Kernel assessment: Naval power 29.40/100 (observed).
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Missiles & air defense
Missile forces could not be observed in this assessment — missing data caps the score, it is never treated as zero.
Type-by-type inventory in preparation — this dossier deepens as coverage grows. Nothing here is estimated silently.
Nuclear
Status: non-nuclear-weapon state
Force structure — record
Bolivarian National Armed Forces (Fuerza Armada Nacional Bolivariana, FANB): Bolivarian Army (Ejercito Bolivariano, EB), Bolivarian Navy (Armada Bolivariana, AB; includes marines, Coast Guard), Bolivarian Military Aviation (Aviacion Militar Bolivariana, AMB), Bolivarian Militia (Milicia Bolivariana), Bolivarian National Guard (Guardia Nacional Bolivaria, GNB), Presidential Honor Guard Ministry of Interior, Justice, and Peace: Bolivarian National Police (Policía Nacional Bolivariana, PNB) (2025)
information varies; approximately 125-150,000 active Armed Forces; estimated 200,000 Bolivarian Militia (2025)
the FANB inventory is a mix of mostly older and some more modern armaments from a variety of foreign suppliers, including China, France, Germany, Iran, Italy, Russia/former Soviet Union, Spain, the UK, and the US (2025)
18-30 (25 for women) for voluntary service; the minimum service obligation is 24-30 months; 17-39 for Militia service; all citizens of military service age (18-50) are obligated to register for military service and subject to military training (2025)
the armed forces (FANB) are responsible for ensuring Venezuela’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity; they also have a domestic role, including assisting with maintaining internal security, conducting counter-narcotics missions, contributing to national socio-economic development, and providing disaster relief/humanitarian assistance; the military has been deployed against illegal armed groups operating in the Colombian border region and other areas to combat organized crime gangs involved in narcotics trafficking and illegal mining; it has ties with the militaries of China, Cuba, Iran, and Russia the FANB has a role in the country’s economy and political sectors; military officers hold key positions in state-owned companies, government ministries, and funding agencies; the FANB runs corporation involved in agriculture, banking, communications, energy, insurance, mining, and transportation (2025)
MILITARY POWER 28.75/100 — The Magna Military Power score is our 0–100 measure of causal military capability — 24 dimensions (mass, equipment, readiness, projection, industry, nuclear deterrence), aggregated through a dependency graph, never by simple addition.
Momentum 0 — Quarterly momentum: the Bureau's read on the country's trajectory over the last quarter, from −10 (deteriorating fast) to +10 (accelerating).
No single event defined Jul–Sep 2026. The country's position is the product of long-cycle forces — geography, trade, neighbours — all of which held steady.
Momentum at zero is not stagnation; it is the accurate record of a quarter without a catalyst.
What is Venezuela's military power score?
Venezuela's military power score is 28.75/100, measuring causal military capability across 24 dimensions.
Where does Venezuela rank in military power?
Venezuela ranks #157 of 195 countries in military power in Magna Bureau military rankings.