“Simulated enemies and airlifted landings”: The military epic of the regime clashes with its own images

While state television spoke of a "strong response," "perfect machinery," and "guaranteed defense," the images transmitted by the 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 combat" against a simulated enemy attempting to penetrate national territory through a purported airlift landing.

According to the official version, the air defense reacted quickly, the artillery opened fire, and the troops were able to "shoot down" the invader, securing the area flawlessly.

However, the footage released is far from an epic narrative. Aged helicopters fly over the area at low altitude, with limited maneuvers and no visible deployments suggesting a complex operation.

On the ground, rusty armored vehicles move slowly across dry and neglected terrain, resembling a symbolic demonstration more than a modern combat exercise.

In several shots, soldiers are seen moving on regular motorcycles, without visible protection beyond basic helmets, carrying long weapons as they cross open fields.

In other images, militiamen crawl through the dry grass with minimal equipment, while makeshift structures resembling military targets appear in the background.

One of the testimonials included by state television reinforces the propagandistic tone when a militiaman, who works as a barber, claims to feel "proud" to defend the homeland and states that if everyone protects "the little piece they have assigned," the island will be safe.

The message, repeated for years, once again places the burden of national defense on ordinary citizens, in a country marked by scarcity, migration, and social fatigue.

The images, far from conveying military strength, reveal precariousness, improvisation, and a reliance on a war logic that contrasts with the everyday reality of Cubans, many of whom are facing blackouts, food shortages, and a collapsed healthcare system.

While the official press insists that "every weapon fulfilled its role" and that defense is guaranteed, the exercise ends up resembling more of a staged performance than a genuine demonstration of military capability.

A simulation that aims to fuel the discourse of resistance but reveals the shortcomings of a defensive apparatus that seems frozen in time.