Lourdes

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Reviving an old Cuban love affair

17 January 2010 at 1944 in Armed Forces, Diplomacy, Fidel Castro, Government, Intelligence, International Relations, Russia, SIGINT, US by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

Russian President Medvedev with Raul Castro in Havana, JAN 2009 (Image: Reuters)

Richard Lourie, author of “The Autobiography of Joseph Stalin,” wrote an op-ed in The Moscow Times with the following observation about Cuba-Russia relations and the geo-strategic importance of the island in world power politics:

Cuba needs money, spare parts for Soviet military equipment and a sense of alliance with a heavyweight player. During President Dmitry Medvedev’s November 2008 visit, Fidel declared that Russia and Cuba were natural partners because both were “constantly threatened by the same adversary of peace.”

A senior U.S. official has stated that Russia “has strategic ties to Cuba again, or at least that’s where they’re going.” Some say the Russians want to refit the listening post in Lourdes, outside Havana, which they abandoned in 2002, for use in cyber-espionage and cyber-warfare. Or the Russians might want a refueling base for their naval vessels and their bombers, which have resumed aggressive patrolling. (Right after Medvedev’s visit, Nikolai Patrushev, head of the Security Council, as well as Alexander Maslov, head of Russia’s air defense, also visited Havana.) But these are secondary, tactical considerations.

Russia’s No. 1 foreign policy objective is to keep Ukraine out of NATO. At the moment, NATO membership hardly seems imminent. Disappointed in liberalism, Ukraine is becoming more pro-Russian, and Europe is relieved not to deal with that troublesome country for the time being.

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Russia & Cuba renew military assistance

18 September 2009 at 1138 in Armed Forces, International Relations, Military & Defense, Military expenditures, Russia by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

Tanks roll through the Revolution Square during the grand parade in Havana, Cuba, Dec., 2006. Image: People's Daily

Aging tanks roll through Revolution Square during the grand parade in Havana, Cuba, Dec., 2006. Image: People's Daily

Stratfor assesses Russian assistance in modernizing Cuba’s aging military equipment and its presence in the Western hemisphere.

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Russian top military commander visits island

15 September 2009 at 0759 in Armed Forces, Generals, International Relations, Russia by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

Gen. Nikolai Makarov

Gen. Nikolai Makarov. Image: Ria Novosti

Via Ria Novosti:

The chief of the Russian General Staff has arrived in Cuba for a working visit at the invitation of the Cuban military leadership.Gen. Nikolai Makarov, who landed in Havana late on Monday, will meet with his Cuban counterpart Gen. Alvaro Lopez Miera and other top brass, and “visit a number of military installations,” Russian Ambassador in Cuba Mikhail Kamynin said.

Although the Cuban leadership has repeatedly said it has no intention of resuming military cooperation with Russia after the surprise closure of the Russian electronic listening post in Lourdes in 2001, bilateral military ties seem to have been improving following the visit of Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin to Cuba in July last year.

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Some Russian military sources have recently indicated that if a political decision is made Moscow could resume operations at the Lourdes facility and also use airbases in Cuba for refueling of strategic aircraft.

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Military leadership counterparts profiled

19 March 2009 at 1721 in Armed Forces, International Relations, Military & Defense, Russia by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

n Audience of Russian generals and colonels and members of the NATO Mobile Education Training Team at the General Staff Academy in Moscow listens to lectures. Image: NATO

An audience of Russian generals and colonels and members of the NATO Mobile Education Training Team at the General Staff Academy in Moscow listens to lectures. Image: NATO

A recent flurry of activities from the Russian Federation, its armed forces and Cuba, i.e. Russian strategic bombers possibly using Cuban airfields and the possible reactivation of the Lourdes SIGINT facility, leads to a further inquiry on the Cuban military leadership

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Reactivation of Lourdes SIGINT facility?

17 March 2009 at 1625 in Armed Forces, Havana, Intelligence, International Relations, Military & Defense, Russia, US, Venezuela by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d


View Larger Map

La Nueva Cuba’s lead story today informs of reports the newspaper received from within the island that “Russian personnel has been in Cuba for several months working on modernizing SIGINT operations in the old Lourdes surveillance and monitoring facility south of Havana,” (complex is center right in Google Map above) which was closed in 2001 by Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The report goes on to say, “both Cuba and Venezuela will benefit with access to some of the information obtained from Moscow…Some of the monitoring operations has been activated and work is underway to modernize the installation with the most advanced Russian technology available. The amplification and improvement of these installations operated by Russia are part of a project of rearming and modernization of Russian armed forces and the goal of completion by 2011.”

Furthermore, “The new operations could include military sections dedicated to hacking or computer systems espionage with a capacity to neutralize U.S. military networks in the case of emergency and sensitive situations emerging from a military conflict or political necessity to pressure a weakened United States susceptible to political pressure.”

Developing…

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Putin’s navy, Ch

26 September 2008 at 1450 in Armed Forces, International Relations, Military & Defense, Russia, US, Venezuela by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

by Ray Walser and Mackenzie Eaglen | The Heritage Foundation

Almost half a century after the Cuban missile crisis, the Russian navy is coming to the Americas. While the mood in Washington is far from panicked, neither is it mirthful. There is a sense of discomfort and dissatisfaction with the voyage of the Russian flotilla and concern about where U.S.-Russian and hemispheric relations are headed.

In the coming weeks, media attention will focus on the passage of the Russian squadron into Caribbean waters, where in November it will conduct joint exercises with the Venezuelan navy. Venezuelan President Hugo Ch

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Cuba has no interest in a new Russian presence

5 August 2008 at 1532 in Armed Forces, Diplomacy, Government, Havana, International Relations, Military & Defense, Nomenklatura, Raul Castro, Russia, Security by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

Aerial photo from 1962 of San Cristobal in Cuba.

Radio Netherlands examines Russian interest in restoring its military base in Cuba and the Cuban government’s lack of interest:

Cuba itself has already made it fairly clear that there’s no question of a renewed Russian military colonialism. The country is still sore at the fact that the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 brought an end to the liberal flow of funds from Moscow. And the leadership in Havana hasn’t forgotten that ten years later, without any consultation, Russia ended to its last military presence in Cuba: the vast intelligence base in Torrens, better known as “Lourdes”, from which legend has it a pin could be heard falling anywhere in the southern United States, and all US communications could be tapped.

The present Cuban leader Ra

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Duma Deputy: Russia may deploy missiles in Cuba

2 August 2008 at 1508 in Armed Forces, Diplomacy, Government, Havana, Intelligence, International Relations, Military & Defense, Nomenklatura, Russia, Security, US by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

RIA Novosti via BBC Monitoring:

Russia is resuming its presence in such an important geostrategic area as Cuba and Latin America, Andrey Klimov, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs, told RIA-Novosti. He was speaking about the results of head of the Russian Security Council Nikolay Patrushev’s visit to Cuba.

Klimov believes that Russia is resuming collaboration with its good old partner. He added that “Cuba has a very important geostrategic situation”. He thinks it’s right that Russia as a major power should be present there in the spheres of economy and security. The Duma deputy did not rule out that Russian military presence on the island may also be considered. “Russia is quite likely to take a decision on military presence in Cuba in response to the deployment of American ABM systems next to the Russian border,” the deputy said.

However, according to another cable from Ria Novosti:

Cuban leadership has no intentions to resume military cooperation with Russia after a surprise closure of a Russian electronic listening post in Lourdes in 2001, a high-ranking Cuban diplomat said on Saturday.

After Russian Security Council chief Nikolai Patrushev and Russian Deputy Prime Minister Igor Sechin visited Cuba on July 30-31, the council issued a statement saying: “Russia and Cuba are set to make consistent efforts to restore longtime ties in all spheres of cooperation and to expand and strengthen them.”

“The Cuban leadership is ready to cooperate with Russia in civilian sectors but it is unlikely to revive bilateral military cooperation, especially after what happened with Lourdes,” the anonymous diplomatic source said.

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Reactivating Lourdes

23 July 2008 at 1938 in Armed Forces, Government, Havana, Intelligence, International Relations, Russia, US by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

A loud call is being voiced to reactivating the Lourdes SIGINT station in Cuba.

“Cuba is a unique place to gather intelligence on the United States. I believe that the reopening of this station is both possible and necessary amid the threat that the Americans are creating for Russia,” –Alexander Pikayev, head of the disarmament and conflict resolution department at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ World Economics and International Relations Institute, told a news conference at RIA Novosti.

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Return of Russian military aircraft in Cuba

21 July 2008 at 0912 in Armed Forces, Government, International Relations, Military & Defense, Nomenklatura, Russia, Security, US by Armando F. Mastrapa 3d

via Bloomberg:

Russia may send military aircraft back to bases in Cuba in response to U.S. plans to deploy elements of a missile defense system in Europe, Izvestiya reported, citing an unidentified “highly placed source.”

Both the supersonic Tu-160, a nuclear bomber known as “White Swan,” and the strategic bomber Tu-95, known to the North Atlantic Treaty Organization as the “Bear,” are capable of flying as far as Cuba, the paper said.

“There are such discussions, but they’re only discussions,” the paper cited a “highly placed” source on the staff of Russia’s long-distance strategic aviation command as saying. “I’m not going to say that there’s nothing behind” the talks.

Russian military-transport aircraft regularly fly to Cuba, the paper said, carrying out orders for private companies.

The European antiballistic-missile shield system consists of a radar system in Czech republic (agreement signed July 8th) and missile-interceptor bases in Poland.

In addition, the Izvestiya article further adds:

  • A senior source in the strategic long-distance aviation headquarters said such talk is only talk;
  • Russia is currently negotiating with Cuba to supply the island with Russian-made aircraft (2 Il-96 aircraft and 4 TU-204: 2 passenger and cargo 2);
  • Infrastructure of the Port of Mariel is quite old, but still able to take ships.
  • In the province of Pinar del Rio, where former Soviet troops were deployed — the military can be re-deployed there.
  • Colonel General Leonid Ivashov, former Chief of Defense for International Cooperation and President of the Academy on Geopolitical Affairs stated: “I wouldn’t say Russian aircraft need Cuba as a permanent home. I know that strategic aviation airplanes were intermediate, landing at airfields in Cape Verde. For such a goal, Cuba can be used again, not as a permanent home – there’s no need for it – but as airfields and air refueling.”
  • Ivashov further went on to say that Cuba would not object to expanding Lourdes base for radio intelligence or something else.

Click here to read the Izvestiya article.

[Photo of Tu-160 and Tu-95: Izvestiya]

Update 13:43 EDT: Russian Defence Ministry officials on Monday poured cold water on a newspaper report that suggested Moscow could use Cuba as a refuelling base for nuclear-capable bombers, Reuters reports.

Update July 22, 16:12 EDT: via Reuters: Russia would cross “a red line for the United States of America” if it were to base nuclear capable bombers in Cuba, a top US air force officer warned on Tuesday. “If they did I think we should stand strong and indicate that is something that crosses a threshold, crosses a red line for the United States of America,” said General Norton Schwartz, nominated to be the air force’s chief of staff.

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