Military images show degradation of Cuba's armed forces

In the spring of 1990, Cuban President Fidel Castro grappled with the possibility of conflict with the United States - for the first time without the promise of Russian aid. Cornered, Castro declared that Cuba preferred to become another "Numancia" to be conquered.

It referred to the ancient Roman siege of the Spanish city of Numantia in 133 BC. But most of the city's inhabitants refused to surrender to their attackers, opting instead to take their own lives within the city walls.

"La Numancia" became a recurring theme in defiant speeches in the final phase of Castro's presidency, Cuban political expert Frank Mora told CNN, as the island's military - once powerful and backed by Russia - became decadent while subsidies dried up in the wake of the collapse of the Soviet Union.

Today, Cuba faces new threats from the US and its leadership is following a script similar to that of the late Castro, making it clear that it is prepared to fight to the end, even if it does not have the necessary means, said Mora.

As the Trump administration intensifies its pressure campaign against Cuba, hundreds of videos and images posted online by the island nation's military and government in recent months illustrate the deteriorating state of its fighting forces, according to a CNN analysis.

The videos deliberately show obsolete equipment because they were designed to convey an image of defiance - not strength - Mora said. The goal is to "show the resistance" of the Cuban people, he explained, regardless of how Cuban forces compare to the larger and more technologically advanced U.S. military.

In images from April, an old-school Soviet anti-aircraft system, the ZU-23, is towed by oxen. According to local reports, the system was being used as part of a local military training exercise.

Other images show everything from old military trucks to more advanced Russian-made anti-aircraft systems, to elite special forces zip-lining near the beach.

Cuban authorities say they have no intention of threatening the US - neither at the Guantánamo Naval Base nor anywhere else - but that they will defend themselves if attacked. In April, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel told Newsweek that, in the event of military aggression, "if we fall in combat, dying for the country is living."

"A shadow of its former self"
At its peak in the early 1990s, Cuba's military had grown to a strength of more than 235,000 active duty personnel and even more reservists, boasting what analysts praised as "first-world armed forces in a third-world country."

The force was reinforced by advanced Soviet weaponry, capable of confronting North American weapons.

Soldiers march during a military parade in José Martí Revolution Square, in Havana, Cuba, on January 2, 2017. - Joaquin Hernandez/Xinhua News Agency/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
According to experts, the number of troops has been reduced by more than half in recent years, reaching a maximum of 50,000 active-duty soldiers after the loss of Soviet support. This reduced force continuously trains with decades-old Soviet equipment - much of it donated as foreign aid before the collapse of the USSR in 1991.

The island still maintains some heavy, albeit old, equipment, which became recurring elements in videos released by the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba, such as in a video posted on Facebook in January.

In it, soldiers maneuver a Soviet-era BM-21 Grad multiple launch rocket system, which could help carry out agile attacks or defend against the enemy.

When the mobile launcher truck stops, soldiers dressed in military green uniforms run around the vehicle. The launch tubes themselves do not appear to be charged, but the men carefully adjust the angle of the launcher, signaling each other with colored flags.

As the truck drives away, the "Ural" brand appears emblazoned across the front of the vehicle - a more recent Russian update of a weapons system designed in the early days of the Cold War.

In another video, one of these platforms fires its load of self-propelled rockets in slow motion, to the sound of a dramatic orchestral score.

The images were interspersed with nostalgic archival footage showing Cuban forces training decades earlier, like many others analyzed by CNN.

"Over the past 35 years, there is no doubt that this world-class military force has become, at best, a shadow of its former self," Mora explained.

Citizens and military hold a parade and demonstration to celebrate Fidel Castro's birthday on August 13, 1994 - Najlah Feanny/Corbis/Getty Images via CNN Newsource
Guerrilla tactics
Facing economic turmoil and without access to Soviet subsidies, modern equipment, and spare parts, Cuba's armed forces deteriorated from the early 1990s into the 1990s. 2000.

It was around this time that Cuban military planners adapted a "hedgehog strategy" that aimed to "make themselves harder to conquer," explained retired U.S. Marine colonel Mark Cancian.

As part of this shift, Cuban officials are opting to train soldiers in guerrilla tactics rather than conventional warfare - a strategic shift confirmed by Cancian and which is also evident in the images.

More recent videos shared by the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Cuba reveal soldiers training in guerrilla tactics. They get on and off motorcycles, wielding grenade launchers, wooden-handled PK machine guns and AK-type rifles.

Some of them wear face paint, camouflage uniforms and ghillie suits - moving in and out of trenches dug into the ground. Other videos show armored personnel carriers emerging from artificial jungle shelters and amphibious soldiers training to storm a beach.

Such tactics could make the Cuban military much more difficult to subdue, even for a much stronger adversary, Cancian said.

Other videos showing Cuba's antiquated military training are harder to explain - for example, special forces rappelling in pairs down a sheet-metal tower at Playa Baracoa, a military base on the outskirts of Havana.

Soldiers fire their rifles almost indiscriminately; in other scenes, they zip line down just a few hundred feet from passing taxis and motorcycles.

In another scene, a lone fighter practices martial arts, training as part of the elite "Black Wasps" unit, the Cuban equivalent of the U.S. Navy SEALs or Delta Force. He trains alone in an asphalt courtyard, whose markings resemble a four-square court.

"Prepared to defend the homeland", says the caption.

Few aircraft and rationed fuel
Cuban's Air Force has also deteriorated since its Cold War-era heyday, and its remaining assets rarely appear in communications intended for the public - except for a few other Soviet-designed Mi-17 helicopters, seen mainly on low-risk training missions or supporting humanitarian aid operations.

Decades ago, the Air Force operated several MiG fighters, almost all of which are probably now inoperable, according to experts. And, as Mora pointed out, it's difficult to fly a fourth-generation Russian fighter without fuel.

Last month, Axios reported that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones. Details about the type or capabilities of these aircraft are not yet clear, but they may constitute some of the island's only aerial capabilities.

Cuban authorities vehemently denied the news.

If there were drones, it would only provide a "one-off boost of striking power," however, and would leave the Cuban regime with few options to respond later, Cancian said.

No images of these alleged drones have surfaced, and only a few videos apparently showing Cuban forces training with small domestic drones have circulated in recent months.

With few options to defend themselves against a possible U.S. offensive, Cuban officials are forced to project force, publicly reject Washington's vision for a new Cuba and wait for the Trump administration's attention to shift elsewhere.

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Source: CNN