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Find out more about Cuban national defense.  Choose the question that interests you:

How modern and effective is national defense today?

It is as modern as it needs to be and more effective than ever.  It is true that, since 1990, the country has not imported new combat equipment but, for 30 years, Cuba received a considerable amount of weaponry and military technology from the USSR.  This included cutting-edge technology and more modest equipment, all of them suitable for use in contemporary conditions.  

Obviously, the current availability of fuel and other resources does not allow that huge mass of equipment to be kept in operation, but it is perfectly preserved and protected in fortifications.  Furthermore, donations, trade advantages, advice and scholarships for military studies were used to advantage in developing an infrastructure and a scientific and technical potential that puts the country in a situation where it can not only preserve and repair but also modernize the equipment.  

Cuba opted for an air force and navy with less equipment in daily use and it chose to preserve the rest, which meant a significant saving of resources.  The high level of training of its pilots, many of whom have combat experience, made this solution feasible.  The enemy's superiority in the air is a fact that is as insuperable as the hundreds of kilometers of tunnels of every kind that exist, built through considerable popular effort.  The only potential adversary can calculate how much this cancels out the possibilities of its air force.  

In the Cuban concept of defense, given that the sole objective is to protect the country from foreign military aggression, the fundamental role falls on the ground troops and, above all, on the gigantic mass of combatants from the people, a force that it is possible to maintain with a limited expenditure of material resources.  Efforts to streamline do not just cover technology.  They have perhaps their most important component in work with the men and women who grasp the weapons.  The training of troops has been improved with the combined use of the combatants' initiative and the most modern equipment, including training planes with a high level of automation, which has allowed good results to be achieved with a significant saving of resources.  

And the most important and decisive thing is that the morale and the political solidity of Cuban combatants is as high as ever.  A single but eloquent example will suffice - the number of members of the Communist Party of Cuba in the Revolutionary Armed Forces continues to grow year by year in these difficult times and, in 1998, it reached a historic record.  

Avoiding war and preserving peace have been the greatest conquest of the foresight that has been shown and of the efficacy and timeliness of the measures taken, which have let what is fundamental in defense be kept intact.  

How do the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) take part in the protection of the environment and other civilian programs?

From their foundation, the Revolutionary Armed Forces have been noteworthy instigators of environmental protection and many other programs aimed at benefiting the population and their surroundings.  The national reforestation program, which started in the 1960s, has succeeded in increasing the forest cover.  Cuba is one of the few countries showing growth in this indicator, which is of such great significance for environmental protection.  

The Revolutionary Armed Forces have also played an important part in hydrographic, geodesic and topographic studies and projects linked to the development of a sustainable form of tourism that does not cause considerable damage to the environment.  The forces have also worked in the search for nonconventional sources of energy and in the generalization of techniques from natural and traditional medicine.  

The contribution of Revolutionary Armed Forces members has also been tangible in tasks of social interest such as city sanitation, aqueduct repairs and many other fields.  Special significance has been given to their work in preserving and developing the mountain and swamp regions and raising the inhabitants' quality of life - a task of extraordinary human value and for the preservation of the environment and wildlife.  

The Revolutionary Armed Forces are also important food producers.  The effort undertaken in the last decade aimed at guaranteeing what they need for their consumption has let the country destine those resources to feeding the population.  But this is only a small part of what has been done in this sense.  The Youth Working Army was transformed in a relatively short time from a traditional supplier of labor power to a body that comprehensively vouches for significant production levels of sugar cane, miscellaneous crops, coffee and fruit.  

The greatest achievement is having made this contribution without harming the combat preparation of the regular troops.

Do the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) participate in the political life of the country?

It is necessary to begin by making very clear what is meant by the word "politics".  If this concept is understood to mean simply electoral processes and the parties that are formed with the sole objective of winning victory in them, it is logical to an extent - especially faced with citizens' growing loss of credibility and trust in those mechanisms - for the armed forces of other countries to try to keep a distance from those veritable pitched battles, where the least ethical weapons are used more and more.  

But if "politics" is understood to mean the effort to lead the popular masses toward the achievement of their most important aspirations, when being political means unselfishly representing the interests of the majority, it would be difficult to find a soldier who respects his profession and who feels patriotic in any part of the world if he is not prepared to follow that concept of politics.  

In Cuba, politics corresponds entirely with the second meaning.  It is a socialist country whose only party does not have electoral aims and is totally alien to political bickering.  Candidates are nominated and elected directly by the population, with no electioneering campaigns or manipulation.  

It is a source of pride for the Revolutionary Armed Forces and a great responsibility that nearly 500 of their members are currently delegates to the People's Power organizations, proposed and elected by the direct and secret ballot of their neighbors in the area where they live, and that more than 20 of their members are deputies to the National Assembly of People's Power.  This is an important indication of the trust deposited by the people in the institution and is another reason for reaffirming the commitment to national interests.  

The members of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, from the private to the general, see membership of the Communist Party of Cuba as a source of pride.  Furthermore, being a member needs the backing of the masses and it does not entail any privilege other than being among the first at the time for sacrifice.  

It may be, if you are not familiar with these characteristics of the Cuban electoral system that make it totally original, that it is difficult for you to understand this situation.  In that case, you can find information in this regard in other sections of this site, which you can confirm on the spot when you visit Cuba.

What is women’s participation like in the Revolutionary Armed Forces?

The Cuban constitution provides that discrimination due to race, skin color, sex, religious beliefs, national origin and any other form of discrimination that is harmful to human dignity is prohibited and punished by law.  

In accordance with the above, it confirms the right that was won by the Revolution, whereby Cuban citizens without distinction:

·         Have access, according to their merits and abilities, to all the positions and employment of the state, public administration and production and the provision of services;  

·         Are promoted to all ranks of the Revolutionary Armed Forces and of security and internal order, according to their merits and abilities;  

.         Receive an equal wage for work of equal value;  

·         Have the benefit of learning in all of the country's educational institutions, from primary schools to universities, which are the same institutions for everyone;  

·         Receive care in all health institutions;  

·         Take up residence in any sector, zone or neighborhood of the cities and stay in any hotel;  

·         Are attended in all restaurants and other public-service establishments;  

·         Use, with no segregation, sea, rail, air and automotive transport;  

·         Enjoy the same health resorts, beaches, parks, social clubs and other centers for culture, sport, recreation and rest.  

This is not a case of a dead letter.  The constitution confirms a right that was won more than 40 years ago and that is evident in every sphere of Cuban society, including the Revolutionary Armed Forces.  People of both sexes and from all of the wide spectrum of skin colors and religious beliefs form part of the forces' ranks, with equal rights and duties.  

Special measures have been taken in order to guarantee the right of women to take part in defense activities, both as professional soldiers and through Women's Voluntary Military Service for a period of two years.  Female workers, housewives, intellectuals and students make up approximately 50 per cent of the Territorial Troops Militia.

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