Gar wrote:
>Mind you there are other unexpected places we can learn from; for
>example if an armed movement comes to power and genuinely wishes to have
>the people rather than a small elite hold power, they might follow one
>part of the Swiss model, and truly arm the whole populace (excluding
>those with moral objections). This would both protect against extreme
>internal repression , and give any would be invaders one hell of an
>obstacle.
***** The Revolutionary Armed Forces
Since its creation after the victory of the Revolution, the first and
most essential of the FAR's missions has been to provide for the
defense of the "socialist fatherland," a responsibility that the
Cuban leadership has described as the FAR's raison d'être and most
sacred mission. This mission is aimed at ensuring Cuba's defense
against foreign enemies. The United States is seen as the principal
potential aggressor against which the armed forces must be prepared
to fight.
The three Cuban military services responsible for this defense
include the troops of the Ejército Revolucionario (Revolutionary
Army), the Defensa Antiaérea y Fuerza Aérea
Revolucionaria(DAAFAR-Antiaircraft Defense and Revolutionary Air
Force), and the Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria (Revolutionary Navy).
In late 1995 the London-based International Institute for Strategic
Studies estimated the size of the active-duty armed forces at 105,000
personnel, of whom some 85,000 were army troops. This reflects the
dramatic decrease in the number of military personnel that has taken
place during the past five years. As affirmed in the FAR Military
Council's April 1996 report, the armed forces have been cut by
approximately 100,000 troops since the peak of military manpower in
the late 1980s, with the leadership, logistics, and services areas
most directly affected by the reductions.
The adherence to the military doctrine of the Guerra de Todo el
Pueblo (War of All the People), which has guided the FAR's planning
and preparations since its adoption in 1980, has helped the effect of
these personnel cuts on the country's defense capabilities. Under
this doctrine, the troops of the regular military are not the only
forces responsible for protecting the nation against foreign
aggression; rather, the defense of the island is construed as the
duty of the entire population. Thus, the regular troops serve as the
"professional vanguard" of the armed population, which includes the
two-million strong Milicia de Tropas Territoriales (MTT-Territorial
Troops Militia). The MTT is designed to provide tactical and
logistical support for the regular military and is intended to act as
a deterrent to potential aggression.
<http://www.georgetown.edu/sfs/programs/clas/Caribe/bp12.htm> *****
Yoshie
