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Military of Cuba
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The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces consist of ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), and Youth Labor Army (EJT).
From 1966 until the late 1980s, massive Soviet Union military assistance enabled Cuba to upgrade its military capabilities and project power abroad.
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Encyclopedia
Military of Cuba
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Military manpower
| | Military age | 17 years
| Availability
| males age 15-49: 3,094,388 (2008 est.)
females age 15-49: 3,024,876 (2008 est.)
| Fit for military service
| males age 15-49: 2,543,044 (2008 est.)
females age 15-49: 2,481,823 (2008 est.)
| Reaching military age annually
| males: 79,945
females: 76,014 (2008 est.)
| Personnel
| active: 46,000 (2002 est.)
reserve: 39,000 (2002 est.)
| Military expenditures
| | Dollar figure | ~$2.3 billion (2006)
| | Percent of GDP | roughly 3.8% (2006)
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Until 1993, the Soviet Union was the key military, health, and humanitarian aid supporter of Cuba.
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The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces consist of ground forces, naval forces, air and air defence forces, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia (MTT), Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), and Youth Labor Army (EJT).
From 1966 until the late 1980s, massive Soviet Union military assistance enabled Cuba to upgrade its military capabilities and project power abroad. The Soviet Union gave both military and financial aid to the Cubans. The tonnage of Soviet military deliveries to Cuba throughout most of the 1980s exceeded deliveries in any year since the military build-up during the 1962 missile crisis. In 1994, Cuba's armed forces were estimated to have 235,000 active duty personnel.
In 1989, the government instituted a purge of the armed forces and the Ministry of Interior, convicting Army Major General and Hero of The Republic of Cuba Arnaldo Ochoa, Ministry of Interior Colonel Antonio de la Guardia (Tony la Guardia), and Ministry of Interior Brigadier General Patricio de la Guardia on charges of corruption and drug trafficking. This judgment is known in Cuba as "Causa 1" (Cause 1). Ochoa and Antonio de la Guardia were executed. Following the executions, the Army was drastically downsized and the Ministry of Interior was moved under the informal control of Revolutionary Armed Forces chief General Raúl Castro (Fidel Castro's brother), and large numbers of army officers were moved into the Ministry of Interior.
Cuban military power has been sharply reduced by the loss of Soviet subsidies. Today, the Revolutionary Armed Forces number 49,000 regular troops. The DIA reported in 1998 that the country's paramilitary organizations, the Territorial Militia Troops, the Youth Labor Army, and the Naval Militia had suffered considerable morale and training degradation over the previous seven years but still retained the potential to "make an enemy invasion costly". Cuba also adopted a "war of the people" strategy that highlights the defensive nature of its capabilities.
Army
In 1985, according to Jane's Military Review (Fourth Year of Issue), there were three major geographical commands, Western, Central, and Eastern. There were a reported 130,000 all ranks, and each command was garrisoned by an Army comprising a single armoured division, a mechanised division, and a corps of three infantry divisions, though the Eastern Command had two corps totalling six divisions.
A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment in the first half of 1998 said that the Army's armour and artillery units were at low readiness levels due to 'severely reduced' training, generally incapable of mounting effective operations above the battalion level, and that equipment was mostly in storage and unavailable at short notice. The same report said that Cuban special operations forces, comprising a battalion-sized airborne unit and a number of smaller units, continue to train but on a smaller scale than beforehand. While the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel have increasingly affected operational capabilities, Cuba remains able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power.
Organization
There is estimated to be 38,000 army personnel
Army Headquarters; Three Regional Commands with three Armys; one for each command.
Equipment
Infantry Weapons
Light Tanks (50)
Medium Tanks (300)
Main Battle Tanks (1,550)
- T-54/55 (1,100)
- T-62 (400)
Reconnaissance Armoured Vehicles (100)
Infantry Fighting Vehicles (400)
Armoured Personnel Carriers (700)
Towed Artillery (500)
Self-Propelled Artillery (40)
Multi Rocket Launchers (175)
Mortars (1000)
Anti-Tank Weapons
Anti-Aircraft Guns (400)
Ballistic missiles
- FROG-7 (70 km range) - 65 launchers
- Hwasong-5 / 6 (330 - 550 km range), unconfirmed
SAM's
- SA-6 Gainful
- SA-7 Grail
- SA-8 Gecko
- SA-9 Gaskin
- SA-13 Gopher
- SA-14 Gremlin
- SA-16 Gimlet
Air and Air Defense Force (DAAFAR)
Former aircraft include:
MiG-15,
MiG-17,
MiG-19,
North American B-25 Mitchell,
North American P-51 Mustang,
and the Hawker Sea Fury
In 1990, Cuba's Air Force was the best equipped in Latin America. In all, the modern Cuban Air Force imported approximately 230 fixed wing aircraft. Although there is no exact figure available, Western analysts estimate that at least 130 (with only 25 operational) of these planes are still in service spread out among the thirteen military airbases on the Island.
In 1998, according to the same DIA report mentioned above, the air force had 'fewer than 24 operational MIG fighters; pilot training barely adequate to maintain proficiency; a declining number of fighter sorties, surface to air missiles and air-defence artillery to respond to attacking air forces.
By 2007 the IISS assessed the force as 8,000 strong with 31 combat capable aircraft and a further 179 stored. The 31 combat capable aircraft were listed as 3 MiG-29s, 24 MiG-23s, and 4 MiG-21s. There were also assessed to be 12 operational transport aircraft plus trainers and helicopters.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Version
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Total Del'd
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Total Now
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! style="background: #aacccc;" colspan="6"|Combat Aircraft
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|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-21 Fishbed || || fighter
trainer|| MiG-21MF
MiG-21UM || 60
10 || 4
4
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|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-23 Flogger || || fighter
multirole fighter
trainer || MiG-23MF/MS
MiG-23ML
MiG-23UB || 21
21
5 || 6
10
2
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|Mikoyan-Gurevich MiG-29 Fulcrum || || fighter
multirole fighter
trainer || MiG-29B
MiG-29UB || 14
2 || 2
1
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|Mil Mi-8 Hip || || transport/attack helicopter || Mi-8T
Mi-8TKV || 20
20 || 4
2
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|Mil Mi-17 Hip-H || ||transport/attack helicopter || Mi-17 || 16 || 8
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|Mil Mi-24 Hind || || attack || Mi-24D || 20 || 4
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|Antonov An-24 Coke || / || cargo || An-24 || 20 || 4
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|Antonov An-26 Curl|| || cargo || An-26 || 17 || 3
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|Yakovlev Yak-40 Codling || || VIP || Yak-40 || 8 || 3
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|Ilyushin Il-62|| || VIP || Il-62 || 1 || 1
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|Ilyushin Il-96 || || VIP || Il-96 || 2 || 2
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|Aero L-39 Albatros || || trainer/attack || L-39C || 30 || 7
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|Zlin Z-326 || || trainer || Z-326T || 60 || 20
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Revolutionary Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria, MGR)
Almost all of the ships of the Navy have been decommissioned and the three Koni class frigates were either expended as targets or sunk to build reefs. Cuba has constructed rolling platforms with Soviet P-15 Termit missile batteries taken from its warships and placed them near beaches where hostile amphibious assaults may occur. Most patrol boats are non-operational due to lack of fuel and spares.
In 1998, according to the same CIA report, the navy had no functioning submarines, around 12 surface vessels that are combat ready, a 'weak' anti-surface warfare capability, primarily SS-N-2 Styx SSM equipped fast attack boats, and an 'extremely weak' anti-submarine warfare capability.
By 2007 the Navy was assessed as 3,000 strong by the IISS with six Osa-II and one Pauk-class fast attack craft.
The Navy also includes a small marine battalion called the Desembarco de Granma. It once numbered 550 men and its present size is not known.
Current
Manpower: 3,000 (includes 550+ Navy Infantry)
Bases
- Cabanas (HQ Western Command)
- Holguin (HQ Eastern Command)
- Cienfuegos
- Havana
- Mariel
- Nicaro
- Punta Movida
Fleet
Current
- 1 Former Soviet Union (FSU) Pauk II Fast Patrol Craft, Coastal with 1 x 76mm gun, 4 Anti-Submarine Torpedo Tube, 2 Anti-Submarine Weapon Rocket Launcher
- 4 Former Soviet Union (FSU) Osa II PFM missile boats; 13 Type II transferred
- 2 ex-Soviet Union (FSU) Sonya Mine Sweeper Coastal; 4 transferred
- 4 Former Soviet Union (FSU) Yevgenya Mine Sweeper Inshore; 11 transferred
- 1 Intelligence Collection Vessel
- 2 amphibious assault battalion
- 122mm artillery
- M-1931/3 artillery
- 130mm: M-46 artillery
- 152mm: M-1937 artillery
- 2 SS-C3 surface to surface missile systems, some mobile Bandera IV (reported)
Historic
- 1 Soviet Foxtrot class submarine with 533mm and 406mm Torpedo Tube (non-operational); 3 transferred
- 2 Soviet Koni corvettes with 2 Anti-Submarine Weapon Rocket Launcher (non-operational); 3 transferred
- 4 Soviet Osa I/II missile boats with 4 SS-N-2 Styx Surface-to-Surface Missile+
- 1 Soviet Pauk II Fast Patrol Craft, Coastal with 2 Anti-Submarine Weapon Rocket Launcher, 4 Anti-Submarine Torpedo Tube
- 1 Soviet Polnocny LSM (medium landing ship), capacity 180 tps, 6tk (non-operational)
See also
Further reading
- Piero Gleijeses: Kuba in Afrika 1975-1991. In: Bernd Greiner /Christian Th. Müller / Dierk Walter (Hrsg.): Heiße Kriege im Kalten Krieg. Hamburg, 2006, ISBN 3-936096-61-9, S. 469-510. (, )
External links
on Granma site
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