Venezuelan troops and civilians have been conducting military exercises throughout the nation in response to what the Maduro administration perceives to be American aggression.

The "Bolivarian Shield" exercises will continue for the next two week as troops conduct various military drills.

The Venezuelan armed forces mobilized on Saturday in response to U.S. sanctions against seven Venezuelan officials as well as the U.S. labeling Venezuela a "security threat." According to TeleSur, around 100,000 troops have been mobilized, of which 20,000 are believed to be civilians, after President Nicolas Maduro and Defense Minister Vladimir Padrino Lopez announced the exercise.

The operation began at Fort Tiuna in Caracas, the largest military installation in the country, and will end on March 28. 

Minister Padrino Lopez explained Operation "Bolivarian Shield" was part of the country's 2015 Military Exercise Program, and civilian participation is an integral part of it. He added that Russian troops in Venezuela would also cooperate.

The activation of the armed forces was not a bellicose move, he explained, but "the cooperation between the Armed Forces and the people to organized and build what we call the overall defense organizations, led by political leaders linked to the armed struggle, which will create the perfect combination to defend us against any aggression."

El Universal reports President Maduro praised Saturday's exercises, claiming "the National Bolivarian Shield Exercise [is] for the security and comprehensive defense of the nation."

Following Saturday's exercises, there have been mobilizations in various parts of the country, including naval exercises in the Gulf of Venezuela as well as naval infantry drills at Puerto Cabello, an oil refining area.

"These are exercises, I repeat, that strengthen preparation, that instructs soldiers on their duty, their mission, their will to win," Minister Padrino Lopez said.

In a six-point statement published on March 10, the Venezuelan Ministry of Defense repudiates the U.S. allegations and sanctions against the South American country, calling them "absurd and devoid of any legal basis."

"Actions of this nature are nothing more than a subterfuge behind which the obscure interests of groups of internal and external power who seek to undermine the foundations of our governance and political and social stability hide," the statement continued, which also reiterated its commitment to peace, liberty, and human rights as well as loyalty to the president and Venezuelan people.

However, though the Venezuelan government promotes the military exercises through social and traditional media as success, some of the exercises have not proven to be exemplary.

The AFP reports that the drills at Puerto Cabello did not go as expected. Local citizens, along with regular troops, were to defend the port from a mock invasion by the marines. However, some of the amphibious tanks became stuck. The operation itself, which involved 3,200 troops, was delayed.

In Apure state, a soldier named Junior Estrada allegedly died when his tank malfunctioned and overturned, detonating ammunition inside, reports Contrapunto.com. The news was originally reported on a local TV station's Facebook page. The government has as of yet made an official announcement about the incident.