CARACAS, Venezuela - Scores of men and women crawl through a mud-filled ditch, ducking barbed wire and coughing in a mixture of tear gas and smoke while gunfire rattles overhead and soldiers bark orders.
The volunteers are training to join Venezuela's army reserve. Many took on the duty in recent weeks after hearing President Hugo Chavez call for the force to be expanded to as many as 2 million reservists.
"I enjoy serving my country," said Juan Carlos Manzanares, a 28-year-old appliance salesman covered in mud after a weekend basic-training session. "The president called on us, and I responded to the call."
Chavez, a former army paratroop commander, says Venezuela needs a bigger reserve to defend itself against any internal or external threat at a time when U.S. "imperialism" endangers the nation's sovereignty.
"The government of the United States of America, that's the true negative force in this region," Chavez said during a recent event with graduates of a nationwide literacy program.
He said the United States is "the true destabilizer of this continent," a force that has generated wars and divisions to try to "keep managing us as if we were its colonies."
Although relations with Washington have grown tense, Chavez has said he wants peace but that any country trying to "mess with" Venezuela to take control of its oil riches would face a strong national defense.
But opponents fear Chavez, who survived a short-lived coup in 2002, could use an army reserve packed with his supporters to break up protests or pit it against the regular military if generals were to turn on him.
Reserve commanders allowed Associated Press a rare look recently at a daylong training in Macarao, on Caracas' western outskirts, where trainees struggled through an obstacle course, received instruction on using a map and compass and marched for six miles in the hills under a scorching sun.
The training is held twice a month on weekends, and usually lasts about three months. Volunteers ranged from former soldiers to civilians, and they have yet to receive weapons training.
Chavez announced last month the government would double the monthly stipend for reservists to $15. While many of the reservists appeared to come from poor backgrounds, none said the money was a major incentive.
Some came in camouflage fatigues and combat boots; others wore jeans and sneakers. Several injured themselves in the training and were taken away in ambulances, including one man who broke his leg and another who fractured his collarbone.
Others gasped for air as they emerged from a tunnel filled with tear gas at the end of the obstacle course.
After a short rest, Manzanares and his comrades began chanting "Reservists, Advance! Advance!" as they jogged, covered in mud and soot, down the hill -- many of them smiling.
The training comes as the U.S. government has increasingly expressed concerns about Chavez's close ties to Cuba's Fidel Castro and his plans to buy helicopters and 100,000 assault rifles from Russia, plus planes and boats from Spain.
Reservists are not issued weapons, and Chavez has said the rifles are for the roughly 100,000 regular troops.
He has brushed aside the U.S. criticism and accused Washington of being behind the coup that briefly unseated him in 2002. U.S. officials have denied any link.
Chavez told supporters and reserve volunteers he is working to increase Venezuela's capacity to defend against "any internal or external threat."
He said countries such as Cuba, Panama, Grenada, Guatemala and Nicaragua "have felt the hand of the imperialist aggressor."
"Venezuela is not preparing to attack or threaten anyone, but make no mistake with Venezuela. Don't come mess with Venezuela," he said.
Army Brig. Gen. Mario Alvarez, a reserve commander, said the task of increasing the size of the reserve corps from nearly 100,000 to 2 million won't be easy.
"We will expand to the extent that we have more human and economic resources," Alvarez said. "The circumstances will determine how and when we achieve the objective."
Chavez's opponents say they see dark purposes behind the populist president's drive to expand the reserve and also set up civilian "Popular Defense Units," which critics have likened to militias, even though the government is not issuing them arms.
"A politicized reserve and pro-government militias represent a serious threat to our democracy," said Fernando Ochoa Antich, a former defense minister and vehement Chavez opponent.
Alvarez denied the reserve was politicized or in any way designed to quash opposition protests.
However, he said he wouldn't be surprised if the majority of reservists support Chavez because "at least 60 percent of them are poor" -- Chavez's main power base.
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