The municipality of Jatibonico, in Sancti Spíritus, was the scene this Friday of the National Defense Day, featuring a territorial tactical exercise in the southern area that included the placement of landmines, grenade throwing, and the mobilization of reservists in response to a simulated enemy landing.
The scenario presented involved an adversary who had previously landed in Cuba and was advancing toward the eastern region of the country, highlighted a report from the official newspaper Escambray.
The small troop units and the Production and Defense Brigades practiced engagement against this supposed enemy, with training in the use of mines intended to "annihilate the enemy's living forces and their armored vehicles," according to the media outlet. Exercises in assembling and disassembling the AKM rifle were also conducted.
At the same time, staff from the Municipal Military Committee was trained to deploy the warning system that activates the mobilization of reservists, who are called to complete units of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Territorial Troops Militias.
The permanent and auxiliary forces responsible for internal order also participated in the preparations, while primary school students (pioneers) were taken to protective shelters upon hearing the siren installed atop a building in the municipality, the source added.
The event was observed by members of the Provincial Defense Council and the first colonel Enrique Tamayo Méndez from the Central Army command, who emphasized "the cohesion achieved and the command's mastery of the missions."
The president of the Municipal Defense Council, Fidel Alejandro Triana González, explicitly linked the exercise with the statements made by the U.S. president Donald Trump before the UN General Assembly, where he asserted that his administration seeks a fundamental change in the situation in Cuba.
Triana expressed the "conviction to continue strengthening the territorial defense apparatus," according to the report.
The day before, Díaz-Canel participated in another day of National Defense Day from the Zone Rampa Defense Council in the Havana neighborhood of Vedado, and posted on X: "Our preparation is a priority for the country. Dignity and unity are the premises to protect the Homeland."
The exercise in Jatibonico is part of the so-called Year of Preparation for Defense 2026, proclaimed in January by the Western, Central, and Eastern armies, which established weekly sessions under the doctrine of the War of All the People.
Throughout the year, the drills have taken place in various provinces; in Cienfuegos, exercises were conducted by land and air, and in Villa Clara, military leaders showcased mules and carts as part of the training, images that sparked ridicule on social media due to the stark contrast with the deep economic crisis affecting the population.
On September 22, Trump described Cuba as an absolutely failed state at the UN, and the Secretary of State Marco Rubio did not rule out military action days later.
However, this Saturday Trump ruled out immediate military intervention and favored a diplomatic approach by stating, "I don't think we need to resort to military means."
Related videos:
Filed under: