Jane’s World Armies: Cuba
Assessment
The collapse of the Soviet Union has deprived the Cuban Army of its major economic and logistic support, and has had a significant impact on equipment numbers and serviceability. The army remains well trained and professional in nature, and is likely to have adopted previous doctrine to take into account the current shortcomings in the quality and quantity of equipment held. While the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have increasingly affected its operational capability and may continue to do so on some scale, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power, including the United States. The international political environment, the country’s economic plight and Castro’s own conclusions about his Cold War interventions abroad, have limited Cuba’s efforts to export Marxist revolution. A new relationship with oil rich Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has translated into a recent boost in operational readiness, mainly due to oil credits and donations. So far this has not translated into a formal re-surge in Cuban military prowess, but Cuban instructors and doctrine is bound to penetrate the new ALBA member’s armed forces (Venezuela, Nicaragua and Bolivia). However, most of Cuba’s foreign serving personnel are doctors. As in other Latin American countries, the army is the dominant service even though the FAR suffers from less interservice rivalry than most armed services in the region. There are three major geographical commands: Cuantos, Comandos, and Geográficos. Each command is designed to be a self-sufficient entity for operational.
Deployments, tasks and operations
The defined role of the FAR is to defend the Revolution from internal and external enemies and this has in the past included giving material assistance to friendly governments in the furtherance of Marxist-Leninist ideals. Today, the only realistic objective of the FAR is the defence of Cuban territory.
Source: Jane’s World Armies
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July 11, 2008 No Comments
Eastern Army prepares for defense year
Cuba’s Eastern Army (Ejército Oriental) began its 2008 Defense Preparation in a military review and political ceremony held at the Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz Revolution Plaza (Plaza de la Revolución Mayor General Ignacio Agramonte y Loynaz) in Camagüey.
The ceremony was presided by Commander of the Revolution Guillermo García Frías, Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera (Vice-Minister of the General Staff, Revolutionary Armed Forces–FAR), Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín (Chief, Eastern Army and member of the Politburo), presidents of the six provincial Defense Councils, other generals, chiefs and officials of the FAR and Ministry of Interior (MININT), and political leadership of mass organizations from Camagüey.
Source: Granma
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Tags: Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa Martín, Eastern Army, FAR, General Staff, MININT, Ministry of Interior, Revolutionary Armed Forces
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January 29, 2008 No Comments
