Chronicle on Cuba - August 2007

Security

August 1: The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) reiterated its friendship and cooperation ties with the Chinese People's Liberation Army (PLA) in a ceremony to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the PLA foundation. The ceremony, held at the Universal Hall of the Armed Forces Ministry in Havana, was presided over by Corps General Alvaro López Miera, head of the FAR's Joint Chiefs of Staff. "Evidence of our friendship and cooperation is the exchange of visits," said Division General Leonardo Andollo Valdés recalling the visit to Beijing of Cuban First Vice President and Army General Raúl Castro in April 2005 and the visit to Havana last May of his Chinese counterpart Colonel-General Cao Ganchuan. Andollo praised the achievements of the Chinese people in the economic sector and in strengthening the socialist ideology and also praised the role of the PLA not only in guaranteeing the defense of the homeland but also in the country's social and economic development. For his part, Sun Yi Fan, military attaché of the Chinese embassy in Havana, referred to the close links of comradeship and brotherhood that exist between the military of both countries and made a call to further develop them. (ACN, Granma, 2/8/07)

August 27: Cuba has been upgrading its military arsenal since Fidel Castro fell ill 13 months ago, to defend itself against a possible US invasion, senior officers told Trabajadores weekly. "In the irregular combat we would face in Cuba in case of an ivasion, the engineering, infantry and artillery systems we produce and repair here are of vital importance, because they're designed for the agressor's direct assault," said Lieutenant Colonel Pascual Machado, chief coordinator of Cuba's Military Industrial Firm (EMI). EMI director, Colonel Arturo Torres, told the weekly the facilities he runs "have increased their production level since 1998 more than four-fold." Weapon systems that have been upgraded in precision targeting and destructive capabilities include munitions, grenades, land mines and anti-tank rockets, Trabajadores said. As an example, the weekly said a laser-guided targeting system called VILMA, has boosted the AK-M automatic rifle's precision by 80-90 percent, regardless of the shooter's skill level. (AFP, 27/8/07)