Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces
The Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (Spanish: Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias; FAR) are the military forces of Cuba. They include Revolutionary Army, Revolutionary Navy, Revolutionary Air and Air Defense Force, and other paramilitary bodies including the Territorial Troops Militia (Milicias de Tropas Territoriales – MTT), Youth Labor Army (Ejército Juvenil del Trabajo – EJT), and the Defense and Production Brigades (Brigadas de Producción y Defensa – BPD), plus the Civil Defense Organization (Defensa Civil de Cuba – DCC) and the National Reserves Institution (Instituto Nacional de las Reservas Estatales – INRE). All these groups are subordinated to the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (Ministro de las Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias – MINFAR).
| Revolutionary Armed Forces | |
|---|---|
| Fuerzas Armadas Revolucionarias (Spanish) | |
Emblem of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces | |
| Founded | 1868 |
| Current form | 1960 |
| Service branches |
|
| Headquarters | Havana, Cuba |
| Leadership | |
| First Secretary | Miguel Díaz-Canel |
| Commander-in-chief | President Miguel Díaz-Canel |
| Minister of the FAR | Corps Gen. Álvaro López Miera |
| Chief of the General Staff | Corps Gen. Álvaro López Miera |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 17-28 years of age for compulsory military service |
| Conscription | 2-year service obligation for males |
| Available for military service | 3,134,622 males, age 15–49, 3,022,063 females, age 15–49 |
| Fit for military service | 1,929,370 males, age 15–49, 1,888,498 females, age 15–49 |
| Active personnel | 50,000 (2022 est.) |
| Reserve personnel | 40,000 1,146,000 (paramilitary) |
| Expenditures | |
| Percent of GDP | 2.9% (2018) |
| Industry | |
| Domestic suppliers | Union de Industrias Militares |
| Foreign suppliers | Bulgaria China Kazakhstan North Korea Laos Poland Russia Syria Venezuela Vietnam Iran |
| Related articles | |
| History | Escambray rebellion Bay of Pigs Invasion Sand War Guinea-Bissau War of Independence War of Attrition Yemenite War of 1972 Yom Kippur War Angolan Civil War Ogaden War United States invasion of Grenada |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Cuba |
| Military of Cuba |
|---|
| Branches |
| Related articles |
|
The armed forces have long been the most powerful institution in Cuba. The military manages many enterprises in key economic sectors representing about 4% of the Cuban economy. The military has also served as former Cuban Communist Party First Secretary, as well as former President of Cuba, Raúl Castro's base. In numerous speeches, Raúl Castro emphasized the military's role as a "people's partner".