Special Forces

New FAR officers

June 19, 2010

Via Cuban state media: 1700 officers receive the grade of Lieutenant from military academies (General Antonio Maceo Inter-Arms School, José Maceo Inter-Arms School, Granma Naval Academy, National School of Special Troops Baraguá, Comandante Arides Estévez Superior Military School, José Martí Military-Technical Institute, and FAR Medical Sciences University) throughout the island. (Image: Graduates of the José [...]

Read the full article →

500 Cuban military advisers in Venezuela

June 15, 2010

Simon Romero of the New York Times reports on Venezuela’s military ties with Cuba: But the quiet expansion of Cuba’s military role here has raised a particular concern among critics of Mr. Chávez, who maintain that the military is being retooled — with Cuba’s help — into an institution that can be used to quell [...]

Read the full article →

National Defense Council meets

May 29, 2010

Via Cadena Agramonte: Army General Raul Castro presided over a meeting of the National Defense Council to analyze the results of the Bastion 2009 Strategic Exercise and other actions carried out last year to improve the country’s defense readiness. Participants, during the meeting, discussed topics related to the improvement of the national defensive capacity including [...]

Read the full article →

Stratfor on the Cubanization of Venezuela’s armed forces

May 22, 2010

[ad#demo-advert] Stratfor issued a special report on Venezuela’s armed forces in early May, whereby the private global intelligence company opines: Controlling Venezuela requires controlling oil and the armed forces, and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has managed to do both for more than a decade. Challenges to this control have emerged, however, such as enormous debt [...]

Read the full article →

Cuban delegation attends Russian security exhibition

May 18, 2010

Civil Defense Chief Division General Ramón Pardo Guerra, who arrived in Moscow last Sunday, met with Russian Minister of Emergency Situation Serguei Shoigu and attended today the inauguration ceremony of the  2010 Intergrated Safety and Security Exhibition (ISSE) fair at the All-Russia Exhibition Center in Moscow, reports Cuban state media. Fair exhibits include Fire Protection, Rescue Equipment, Security [...]

Read the full article →

Brigade of Cuban Special Forces is in Ecuador

May 13, 2010

Cuban Special Forces—Black Wasps (Tropas Especiales—Avispas Negras) are allegedly in control of key sectors/zones in Ecuador’s capital, Quito. General Patricio Haro of the Liberty and Justice movement claims that members of Batallón Pardo, a brigade of Cuban special forces capable of organizing shock troops is in the country. These troops have come to Ecuador as a [...]

Read the full article →