Cuban Revolutionary Army

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Revolutionary Army
Ejército Revolucionario
Founded	1868; 156 years ago (1868) 1960; 64 years ago (1960) (current form)
Country	Cuba
Role	Land warfare
Size	39,000 Active Soldiers
Part of	Revolutionary Armed Forces
Garrison/HQ	Havana, Cuba
Engagements	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

The Cuban Revolutionary Army (Spanish: Ejército Revolucionario) serve as the ground forces of Cuba. Formed in 1868 during the Ten Years' War, it was originally known as the Cuban Constitutional Army. Following the Cuban Revolution, the revolutionary military forces was reconstituted as the national army of Cuba by Fidel Castro in 1960. The army is a part of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces which was founded around that time.

The Cuban Constitutional Army in its original form was first established in 1868 by Cuban revolutionaries during the Ten Years' War and later re-established during the Cuban War of Independence in 1898. The Cuban Constitutional Navy was involved in the Battle of the Caribbean during World War II supported by the United States.^[1] After the Cuban Revolution had overthrown Fulgencio Batista's government, the Cuban Rebel Army under Fidel Castro's leadership was reorganized into the current armed forces of Cuba.

As of July 1981, the army comprised 200,000 personnel, inc 60,000 reservists; there were an estimated three armoured brigades; 15 infantry divisions (brigades), some mechanised; and some independent battalions. The IISS estimated that it had 200 T-54/55 and 50 T-60 tanks, plus 400 T-34s, and IS-2 heavy tanks,and a variety of other Soviet equipment, including BRDM-1; 400 BTR-40/60; artillery up to 152mm; and 50 FROG-4 (2K6 Luna?) surface to surface missiles.^[2]

In 1984, according to Adrian English, there were three major geographical commands, Western, Central, and Eastern.^[3] There were a reported 130,000 all ranks, and each command was garrisoned by an army comprising a single armoured division, a mechanised division, and a corps of three infantry divisions, though the Eastern Command had two corps totalling six divisions. There was also an independent military region, with a single infantry division, which garrisoned the Isle of Youth.

An idea of this structure can be seen from a Jane's depiction (in error) dated 1996:^[4]

Units included:

• Airborne brigade consisting of 2 battalions (at Havana and its immediate environs)
• Artillery division (at Havana and its immediate environs)
• SAM Brigade^[5]
• An anti-aircraft artillery regiment^[5]

In the late 1980s and early 1990s the Western Army was deployed in the capital and the provinces of Havana and Pinar del Río:

• 1st Armored Division (Training) "Sanguily Rescue"
• 70th Mechanized Infantry Division
• 78th Armored Division
• 2nd (Pinar del Río) Army Corps:
  • 24th Infantry Division
  • 27th Infantry Division
  • 28th Infantry Division

In the 1980s–1990s the Central Army was deployed in the provinces of Matanzas, Villa Clara, Cienfuegos and Sancti Spiritus:

• 81st Infantry Division
• 84th Infantry Division
• 86th Infantry Division
• 89th Infantry Division
• 12th Armored Regiment/1st Armored Division
• 242nd Infantry Regiment/24th Infantry Division
• 4th (Las Villas) Army Corps:
  • 41st Infantry Division
  • 43rd Infantry Division
  • 48th Infantry Division

In the 1980s–1990s the Eastern Army was deployed in the provinces of Santiago de Cuba, Guantánamo, Granma, Holguín, Las Tunas, Camagüey and Ciego de Avila:

• 3rd Armored Division
• 6th Armored Division
• 9th Armored Division
• 31st Infantry Division
• 32nd Infantry Division
• 38th Infantry Division
• 84th Infantry Division
• 90th Infantry Division
• 95th Infantry Division
• 97th Infantry Division
• Guantanamo Frontier Brigade (founded in 1961)^[6]
• 123rd Infantry Division/former 12th Infantry Division
• 281st Infantry Regiment/28th Infantry Division
• 5th (Holguín) Army Corps:
  • 50th Mechanised Division
  • 52nd Infantry Division
  • 54th Infantry Division
  • 56th Infantry Division
  • 58th Infantry Division
• 6th (Camagüey) Army Corps:
  • 60th Mechanised Division
  • 63rd Infantry Division
  • 65th Infantry Division
  • 69th Infantry Division

The International Institute for Strategic Studies wrote in The Military Balance 1994–95 that "the Cuban Army is undergoing major reorganisation; ..strength has been reduced by 60,000 to some 85,000 and is now structured on a brigade as opposed to a divisional basis." (p.194).

A U.S. Defense Intelligence Agency assessment in the first half of 1998 said that the army's armour and artillery units were at low readiness levels due to 'severely reduced' training, generally incapable of mounting effective operations above the battalion level, and that equipment was mostly in storage and unavailable at short notice.^[7] The same report said that Cuban special operations forces continue to train but on a smaller scale than beforehand, and that while the lack of replacement parts for its existing equipment and the current severe shortage of fuel were increasingly affecting operational capabilities, Cuba remained able to offer considerable resistance to any regional power.^[8]

In 1999 the Revolutionary Army represented approximately 70 percent of Cuba's regular military manpower. According to the IISS, the army's estimated 45,000 troops including 6,000 active and 39,000 members of the Ready Reserves who were completing the forty-five days of annual active-duty service necessary for maintaining their status, as well as conscripts who were fulfilling their military service requirement.^[9]

The IISS reported in 1999 that the army's troop formations consisted of four to five armored brigades; nine mechanized infantry brigades; an airborne brigade; fourteen reserve brigades; and the Border Brigade. In addition, there is an air defense artillery regiment and a surface-to-air missile brigade. Each of the three territorial armies is believed to be assigned at least one armored brigade-usually attached to the army's headquarters-as well as a mechanized infantry brigade. It is known that the Border Brigade in Guantanamo and at least one ground artillery regiment (attached to a mechanized infantry brigade), based in Las Tunas, are under the Eastern Army's command.^[9]

Circa 2007, there were an estimated 38,000 army personnel.^[10]

Military equipment of the Cuban Revolutionary Army

Name	Country of origin	Quantity	Variant	Notes
Tanks
T-55	Soviet Union	~140 Active[11]	T-55 T-55A T-55AM	[12]
T-62		~380 Active[11]	T-62 Obr. 1967 T-62 Obr. 1972 T-62M	[12]
Armoured Fighting Vehicles
BRDM-2	Soviet Union	~100[11]	CBE-14.5 CBE-14.5M	(Cuban upgraded examples known as CBE-14.5M).[12]
BTR-100	Cuba	unknown	CBAF-100	[12]
BTR-115			CBAF-115	[12]
Infantry Fighting Vehicles
BMP-1	Soviet Union	~120[13]	BMP-1 BMP-1P	(Some used as unarmed driver training 'tanks').[12]
BMD-1		unknown	BMD-1	[12]
BTR-60-73M	Cuba		CBI-73M	[12]
Armoured Personnel Carriers
BTR-152	Soviet Union	~150[11]	BTR-152	[12]
BTR-50		~200[11]	BTR-50	[12]
BTR-60		~800[11]	BTR-60PB	[12]
BTR-70	Russia	unknown	BTR-70M	[12]
Infantry Mobility Vehicles
Dongfeng EQ2050	China	unknown	EQ2050	[12]
David	Cuba		Iguana	(Several exported to Angola).[12]
Fast Attack Vehicles And Gun Trucks
UAZ-469 FAV	Cuba	unknown
Fiero				Two configurations[11]
Paquito				Three configurations[11]
Command Vehicles
R-145 ''BTR-R-145''	Soviet Union	unknown
BTR-60PU-12				(Not yet seen).[14]
Military Engineering Vehicles
BTS-4	Soviet Union	unknown
PTS-M
T-62 Obr. 1967 CEV	Cuba
IMR	Soviet Union			(Not yet seen in original configuration. Several converted to a yet unknown role).[15]
PT-76B Transporter-Loader	Cuba			(For the S-125 SAM).[14]
Tank Destroyers
9M14 Malyutka	Soviet Union	unknown
100mm C-AP-AT-BMP-100	Cuba
Towed Artillery
57mm ZiS-2 Anti-tank Gun	Soviet Union	unknown
76mm ZiS-3 Anti-Tank Gun				(Not yet seen).[15]
85mm D-44 Anti-tank Gun
100mm MT-12 Anti-Tank Gun
122mm M-30 Howitzer				Used as saluting guns firing 21-gun salutes. [14]
122mm D-30 Howitzer				Mostly used as guns for self-propelled artillery together with modernized A-19 122mm.[11]
130mm M-46 Field-Gun
152mm ML-20 Howitzer				(Not yet seen in original configuration).[11]
Self-Propelled Artillery
100mm C-AP-BTR-100	Cuba	unknown
100mm C-AP-MP-T-100
120mm M-AP-BRDM-120 ''M-AP-CBE-120''				Two configurations[11]
122mm 2S1 Gvozdika	Soviet Union
122mm C-AP-T-122	Cuba			Two configurations[11]
122mm C-AP-BMP-122'
122mm OBÚS-AP Jupiter-(?)
122mm C-AP Jupiter III
130mm C-AP-T-130
130mm Jupiter I				Prototype[11] (Design exported to Vietnam).[14]
152mm 2S3 Akatsiya	Soviet Union
152mm C-AP-T-152	Cuba
Multiple Rocket Launchers
55mm MRG-1	Soviet Union	unknown
57mm Canimar-57	Cuba
122mm BM-21 Grad
122mm BM-21M
213mm RBU-6000 'Frontera'
240mm BM-24	Soviet Union
Unknown MRL	Cuba			Three configurations[11]
Towed Anti-Aircraft Guns
12.7mm DShK	Soviet Union	unknown
12.7mm M-53	Czech Republic
14.5mm ZPU-1	Soviet Union
14.5mm ZPU-2				(Not yet seen).[11]
14.5mm ZPU-4
23mm ZU-23
30mm Vz.53/59	Czech Republic
37mm M-1939 (61-K)	Soviet Union
57mm AZP S-60
Self-Propelled Anti-Aircraft Guns
23mm ZSU-23-4	Soviet Union	400[11]		(Some armed with MANPADS).[14]
57mm ZSU-57-2		25[11]
23mm BTR-152-23-2 ''BTR-152-ZU-23 or Yatare-23''	Cuba	unknown
23mm BTR-60-23-2 ''BTR-60-ZU-23 or BTR-23''
30mm BTR-60-30-2				(Likely to have been decommissioned).[14]
37mm BTR-60-37-2 ''Duplex-BTR-37''				Two configurations[11]
57mm T-54-57-2 ''Duplex-T-57''
Self-Propelled SAM Systems
2K12 Kub	Soviet Union	unknown
9K33 Osa				(Some equipped with 4K33 Osa-M missiles).[11]
9K31 Strela-1				(Not yet seen in original configuration) Some equipped with R-13M AAMs).[15]
9K35 Strela-10				(Some equipped with 9M31s, MANPADS R-13M and R-60MK AAMs).[15]
Mobile S-75 on a T-55(A)	Cuba	25[11]		On T-55 chassis.[14]
Mobile S-125 on a T-55A		unknown		On T-55 chassis. This missile was seen in the Cuban Military Parade of 2006.[15]
Static SAM Systems
S-75	Soviet Union	unknown
S-125
Coastal Defence Systems
4K51 Rubezh	Soviet Union	unknown
Bandera VI-M 'Remulgadas	Cuba			Two configurations[11]
Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs)
Unknown UAV	unknown	unknown
Radars
P-10 ''Knife Rest B''	Soviet Union	unknown		(Documented by a few sources, not yet seen).[15]
P-12 ''Spoon Rest A''				(For the S-75).[14]
P-14 ''Tall King''				(Satellite imagery available).[16]
P-18 ''Spoon Rest D''
P-19 "Flat Face B"
Phased Array Antenna For P-19 ''Flat Face B''	Cuba			(For the S-125).[11]
P-35/37 ''Bar Lock''	Soviet Union
SNR-75 ''Fan Song''				(For the S-75) Two configurations: (2) (Most mounted on tanks or trailers).[15]
SNR-125 ''Low Blow''				(For the S-125) Two configurations: (2) (Most mounted on tanks).[15]
RSP-7
SURN 1S91				(For the 2K12 Kub).[15]
PRV-9 ''Thin Skin''				(Documented by a few sources, not yet seen).[14]
PRV-11 ''Side Net''
PRV-13 ''Odd Pair''				(Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)[14]
SON-9A "Fire Can"				(Not yet seen).[15]
SON-50 ''RPK-1'' "Flap Wheel"
58N7 "Back Trap"				(Documented by a few sources, not yet seen)[14]
R-410M ''Twin Plate'' Troposcatter
Mys and Furuno Coastal Radar	Cuba
RPK-2 "Tobol"				(For SPAAGs and 57mm AZP S-60).[15]

Name	Country of origin	Type	Notes
PM	Soviet Union	Semi-automatic pistol	Standard issue pistol.
APS		Machine pistol	Used by Special Forces
APS underwater rifle		Underwater assault rifle	In use with Special Forces.
SKS		Semi-automatic carbine	Mostly limited to use as a ceremonial weapon.
AKM		Assault rifle	Standard issue assault rifle.
RPK		Light machine gun
SG-43		Medium machine gun
KPV		Heavy machine gun
PKM		General-purpose machine gun
PM-63 RAK	Poland	Submachine gun	Used by some MTT units.
M16A1	United States	Assault rifle	Possibly captured sometime during the Cold War.
SVD	Soviet Union	Semi-automatic sniper rifle
Alejandro Sniper Rifle	Cuba	Bolt-action sniper rifle
Mambi AMR		Anti-material rifle
RPG-7	Soviet Union	Rocket-propelled grenade
SPG-9		Recoilless gun
AGS-17		Automatic grenade launcher
LPO-50		Flamethrower
RGD-5		Hand grenade
F1

The most common uniform worn by Cuban soldiers appear to be solid color olive green utility uniforms. The utility uniform is worn with shined black combat boots, and the most common hats that are worn with this uniform are stiffened patrol caps that were made famous outside of Cuba by being worn by Fidel Castro.

Soldiers in tank, military police, and special forces units are also allowed to wear berets with this uniform. The Cuban utility uniform greatly resembles the OG-107 uniform that was standard issue in the United States Armed Forces during the Cold War.

• CIA report October 1974
• CIA, The Cuban Military Establishment, 1979
• https://dialnet.unirioja.es/servlet/tesis?codigo=173210 - Spanish thesis on army history
• Klepak, H. P., Cuba's military 1990–2005 : Revolutionary soldiers during counter-revolutionary times, 2005, New York, N.Y. : Palgrave MacMillan. [1]