The recent military maneuvers and
span>displays of weaponry promoted by the Cuban regime aim to project an image of resilience against a potential aggression from the United States, but they have also highlighted the profound material deterioration of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), according to an analysisspan> published by CNN.According to the report
, hundreds of videos and images released in recent months by the Armed Forces and official Cuban media depict a diminished military force, largely equipped with obsolete Soviet weaponry and vehicles several decades old.Among the analyzed images is
one from April showing a Soviet anti-aircraft system ZU-23 being towed by a yoke of oxen during a local military exercise, a scene that quickly went viral on social media. >Other videos show old military trucks, Russian-made anti-aircraft
systems, and special forces units conducting training exercises, such as zip-lining near the coast.span>However, for hemispheric security specialist Frank Mora
, cited by CNN, these publications do not aim to demonstrate military superiority.p>they are designed to project defiance, not strength," Mora explained. According to the expert, the goal is to exhibit the resilience of the Cuban people, regardless of the vast difference between the military capabilities of Cuba and those of the United States."The videos deliberately showcase aging hardware because
From regional
power to an aging armyAccording to official figures, the
FAR reached their peak capacity in the early 1990s, when they had over 235,000 troops> and operated abundantly supplied weaponry from the then Soviet Union. Following the collapse of the Soviet bloc, the number of active military personnel fell to around 50,000, while much of their equipment became obsolete.In statements to ADN
Cuba, the researcher from the Foundation for Human Rights in Cuba, Luis Domínguez, explained that the decline in Cuba's military capabilities is directly related to the end of Soviet support.anything. All the weaponry that Cuba received was given for free by the Soviet Union. The Cuban economy never supported the military it had before," he stated.End">According to Domínguez, Soviet aid was not limited to just the provision of arms but also included maintenance of all military infrastructure."Cuba never had, never bought
span>"When the Soviet Union collapsed, Cuba stopped receiving not only arms but also repairs, engines, parts, and training. All of that was free," he explained.End">Domínguez recalled that the island's greatest military power was achieved after the end of the Angola war when squadrons of MiG-23 fighter jets, helicopters, tanks, and artillery pieces were brought to the island.
However, he asserted that
the regime never had the economic capacity to maintain that arsenal.="isSelectedEnd">"An engine for a MiG-29 costs millions of dollars to repair. Cuba has had no way to sustain that after the fall of the Soviet Union," he noted, although he specified that later Havana received targeted assistance from China and North Korea.
"No MiG is
flying anymore"CNN also highlights the deterioration suffered
by the Cuban Air Force, whose Mi-17 helicopters are practically the only aircraft regularly appearing in official activities. The MiG fighter jets, which symbolized Cuba's air power for decades, have virtually disappeared from public displays.">Domínguez was even more emphatic in describing the current situation.>"The current state is terrible. There is no MiG flying, and I tell you
this because I receive information through the Military Aviation page," he asserted.>He added that many of the planes remain stored in underground shelters
at the San Antonio de los Baños Air Base, but completely unused.SelectedEnd">"Many of these planes are completely dismantled. Even the MiG-29 that shot down the planes from Brothers to the Rescue is completely destroyed," he stated.
some training aircraft that fly occasionally. They do have drones, but commercial ones that only serve to observe what is in front of them," he indicated.span>Domínguez also asserted that currently only the San Antonio de los Baños and Playa Baracoa air bases remain operational in the western part of the country, while the rest of the military facilities were closed or abandoned during the 1990s."No MiG is flying; they have
For Domínguez, however, these displays have a more political
than military objective.to defend itself with. The only thing it has are the lies it can use to try to stop an American invasion if they think it is going to happen. All they have left is intimidation outward and inward to continue deceiving the Cuban people and prevent them from taking action," he concluded.>"Cuba today has nothing
Although Cuba maintains some anti-aircraft defense systems and retains the ability to develop
an asymmetric war strategy, analysts agree that the FAR would stand no chance of sustaining a conventional confrontation against the technological, air, and naval power of the United Statesstrong>, whose military superiority is widely recognized by strategic studies centers and former U.S. Defense officials.
