The Defense Day in Cuba amid tensions with the United States has been the subject of memes and mockery on social media amid the tension between the regime and the Trump Administration.
"Is that Halloween?" questioned a user sarcastically in response to a post from the División de Tanques showing the camouflage of a group of university students during a training session.
"I love the image of the woman grabbing the rifle by the magazine, ready to shoot. You all need to stop making such a fool of yourselves, please," said another.
With maneuvers on old motorcycles, the MINFAR boasts of "combat readiness."
The Ministry of the Armed Forces (MINFAR) boasted this Saturday during Cuba's National Defense Day about "combat readiness" by showing a video of maneuvers on common and old motorcycles.
"Mobile groups are coalescing," reads the Facebook post from MINFAR, which features a somewhat shabby video showing motorcyclists riding their bikes, getting off to shoot, and simulating combat in an open field.
Images vs propaganda
While the state television spoke of a "strong response," "perfect machinery," and "guaranteed defense," the images broadcast by the very Canal Caribe told a different story during the military exercises for National Defense Day in Cuba.
The news report described the operation as a "real battle" against a simulated enemy attempting to penetrate national territory through a supposed helicopter-borne landing.
According to the official version, the air defense reacted quickly, the artillery opened fire, and the troops managed to "shoot down" the invader, securing the area without any gaps.
However, the scenes broadcasted are far from the epic narrative. Helicopters of clear antiquity hover over the area at low altitude, with limited maneuvers and without visible deployments suggesting a complex operation.
On land, rusty armored vehicles slowly advance through dry and neglected terrain, resembling more of a symbolic demonstration than a modern combat exercise.
Díaz-Canel, present
The Cuban leader Miguel Díaz-Canel attended military exercises this Saturday amid tensions with the Trump Administration.
Díaz-Canel was seen at the Great Tank Unit of Combat Glory "Rescate de Sanguily" and later at an air defense unit, where he rallied the troops with the usual slogans of the regime's propaganda.
"The best way to avoid an aggression is for imperialism to have to calculate what the cost would be of attacking our country. And that has a lot to do with the preparation we have for this type of military actions,” he said, according to the report from the Presidency of Cuba.
The leadership was accompanied by the top military officials of the regime: the Army Corps General and Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), Álvaro López Miera; Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the FAR; and Army Corps General and Deputy Minister of the FAR, Joaquín Quintas Solá.
"This is of significant importance in the current times," he said in reference to the exercises he witnessed: "given the entire hegemonic offensive being carried out by the U.S. government."
He also highlighted the high levels of "preparation, cohesion that you have, and cooperation among different types of components of the territorial defense system."
"By participating in this way, preparing for the defense of the Homeland, we achieve unity, and when we have united, history has shown that we have always achieved victory," he added.
Tension with the USA.
After the capture of Nicolás Maduro on January 3, the administration of President Donald Trump is reportedly working actively to induce a political change in Cuba before the end of the year, according to an extensive investigation published by The Wall Street Journal.
According to U.S. officials cited by the newspaper, Washington sees a "historic window of opportunity" to pressure the Cuban government into collapse, amidst a context of unprecedented economic decline and increasing regional isolation.
Although there is no declared military plan or official timeline, the White House strategy aims to intensify economic, diplomatic, and symbolic pressures on the Cuban regime while seeking internal interlocutors willing to negotiate a potential transition.
In parallel with the measures of public pressure, the U.S. government has intensified its discreet contacts with the Cuban exile community and civic leaders in cities such as Miami and Washington.
The objective?: Identify possible figures within the Cuban state apparatus who "see what is coming" and are willing to negotiate a negotiated exit.
According to the Wall Street Journal, multiple private meetings have been held in which information has allegedly been requested about Cuban officials or military members "willing to understand the historical moment" and break with the leadership.
Filed under: