Cuba: War Games Designed to Repel U.S. Invasion

Reuters reported November 26 that Cuba's largest military exercise in half a decade is deemed necessary by the Cuban government to get ready for a potential invasion by the United States.

The story says, "Despite a thaw in U.S.-Cuba relations and assurances last week by President Barack Obama that the United States has no intention of invading the island 90 miles from Florida, Cuba's state-run press quoted military leaders as saying there 'exists a real possibility of a military aggression against Cuba.'"

Seriously? Why is there a real possibility? Because Raul Castro is certifiably insane? What possible motivation could we have for invading Cuba? The Castro government poses no threat to us, militarily or economically. Maybe an invasion could get us access to Cuban cigars? Are Cuban government officials afraid of a repeat of the Bay of Pigs fiasco?

The story continues, "The war games, which are being called 'Bastion 2009,' also will get the military ready to deal with social unrest the United States may try to foment in this time of economic crisis in Cuba, ahead of an invasion, they said. Cuban television showed images of tanks firing their guns as they rolled through the countryside, artillery batteries blasting away, camouflaged troops digging trenches and shooting bazookas, attack helicopters and fighter jets buzzing through the sky and rescue teams tending wounded combatants. It was not clear if the images came from Thursday's maneuvers or from file footage of previous activities, nor were the sites of the war games disclosed."

My guess is that it is file footage from a past exercise. If the images were from a current military event, it probably exhausted the military budget for the entire fiscal year, if not more. Cuba is, after all, a very poor country.

Reuters says, "...Cuban military leaders have insisted in state-run press that Bastion 2009 is 'a necessity of the first order in the current political-military situation that characterizes the confrontation between Cuba and the empire (the United States).' They appeared to signal disgruntlement with Obama, whose election brought high hopes of change on the island, saying the embargo goes on and he has not removed Cuba from the United States' list of 'terrorist' countries."

http://www.reuters.com/article/newsMaps/idUSTRE5AP45P20091126