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
New officers in Cuban Army
Prensa Latina reports over 1,400 young officers graduated and will join the Cuban Army (Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias) as military sciences graduates and engineers in different branches.
Cuban Vice President, José Ramón Machado Ventura, and Julio Casas Regueiro, General of the Armed Forces and Minister of FAR, chaired the military ceremony held in the historical Plaza de la Revolución.
Commissioned officers were cadets, coastguards and students from superior and technical military teaching centers of the country who graduated in promotion 55th Anniversary of Moncada Garrison Attack.
The new officers, when taking the oath, expressed their commitment to firmly defend and safeguard the sovereignty and independence of the nation, and to follow the patriotic traditions of the Cuban people.
The present young officers’ graduation takes place at a time when the world is living a difficult, complex and uncertain situation, stated Joaquín Quinta Solá, General of the Armed Forces and Vice Minister of FAR.
Sphere: Related ContentTags: FAR, Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias, Joaquín Quinta Solá, Julio Casas Regueiro, Military
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June 22, 2008 No Comments
New Defense Minister
Raul Castro (President, Council of State) has named Division General Julio Casas Regueiro as Defense Minister.
Julio Casas was a member of the July 26th Movement, and one of the founders of the Second East Front, in the Sierra Cristal Mountains of Oriente province during the guerrilla warfare against Fulgencio Batista. He is known to be one of the closest associates of Raul Castro; as well as “master mind” and key figure in certain commercial operations and international tourism (GAVIOTA Enterprises).
Julio Casas is suspected of large scale corruption. This “historico” commander is not perceived as an influential political figure like his brother; but as a despotic, corrupt bureaucrat. [1]
NOTE
1. Humberto Leon. 1995. “The Military Chiefs - Biographic Information”. In International Research 2000. The Military and Transition in Cuba: Reference Guide for Policy and Crisis Management. March 17.
Sphere: Related ContentTags: Historico, Julio Casas Regueiro, MINFAR, Raul Castro
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February 25, 2008 No Comments
