“Cuba is . .. probably the world’s most completely militarised country.” Adrian J. English, author of Armed Forces of Latin America (1984)
Granma published today a propaganda laden summary on the revolutionary origins of Cuba’s militias.
However, assessments were made in 1960 by the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) on the Cuban militia. These assessments were published in the Agency’s Central Intelligence Bulletin (21 NOV 60) and Current Intelligence Weekly (23 NOV 60).
Cuban militiamen during the Bay of Pigs (1961). Image: MINREX
CIA opined at the time:
In an effort to strengthen its control, the Castro regime is giving intensive training throughout the island to a militia force of some 200,000 “volunteers”….The militia, which has a number of similarities to the Chinese Communist militia, is not only a force for police control but also a means of subjecting a relatively large number of Cubans to military discipline and political indoctrination. It also provides the regime with a cheap labor force, reducing the threat of political unrest stemming from the chronic unemployment problem. With extensive Communist penetration at all levels, the militia could also prove valuable against anti-Castro activity in the less politically reliable regular armed forces.
Read my prior post Paramilitary orgs in Post-Castro era for an assessment on the importance of these paramilitary organizations in Cuba’s future.