The presence of the Cuban military leadership this Thursday at José Martí International Airport, dressed in austere olive green uniforms, sent a carefully calculated political message.
Beyond the mourning for the 32 military personnel who died in Venezuela, the event was a symbolic display of discipline and hierarchy within the regime.
Raúl Castro, Miguel Díaz-Canel, José Ramón Machado Ventura, and the high-ranking officials of the government and the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) appeared in the same type of uniform: a closed jacket, a campaign cap, and visible epaulettes with military ranks embroidered in black, but without medals or decorations.
This seemingly minor detail corresponds to an internal code of the military apparatus. Only Miguel Díaz-Canel's epaulet displayed the colors of the Cuban flag, identifying him as the primary leader, with the Army General on his right and Commander Machado on his left.
His distinctive Commander-in-Chief insignia of the National Defense Council (CDN) on the cap reinforces his role as a successor within the military apparatus. It was the only recognizable position when focusing on the faces of the group in formation.
Machado Ventura's epaulet also revealed his commander’s insignia, featuring the characteristic red and black colors of the dictatorship, inspired by the July 26th flag.
In the case of Raúl Castro, the black General of the Army insignia was observed, a gesture that some analysts interpret as a sign of mourning and symbolic authority.
Training uniform and message of sobriety
The embroidered rank insignia on the epaulettes—visible on the state television cameras—reinforces the message of authority. The attire worn corresponds to a training uniform of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), used during solemn internal events such as state funerals, anniversaries of the Revolution, or military ceremonies.
It is a simplified version of the gala uniform, omitting insignias and decorative ribbons to emphasize unity and institutional sobriety.
In such events, the absence of medals does not indicate dishonor, but rather a deliberate decision. The senior officials reserve the decorated uniform for international representation events or those of higher protocol rank.
The "clean" uniform projects an image of revolutionary humility and historical continuity with the origins of the Rebel Army.
A performance with political significance
The coordinated use of the uniform by the entire ruling elite was not accidental. In a context of internal crisis, diplomatic isolation, and loss of Venezuelan support, the regime turned to the visual language of the Armed Forces to project cohesion, discipline, and revolutionary continuity.
Raúl Castro's presence, silent and at the forefront, served as a reaffirmation of power within the military elite.
Thus, the ceremony to receive the remains of the fallen soldiers in Venezuela was also a choreography of institutional loyalty. Every garment, every gesture, and every insignia reinforced the narrative of a military leadership that, despite the crisis, seeks to present itself as unscathed before the cameras in the country and, above all, in front of the international press.
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