Kathrine Frich
Cuba is preparing for the worst.
Officials have pointed to a sweeping national defence concept that draws on Cold War-era thinking.
The announcement follows a dramatic shift in the region after the U.S. detention of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro.
War footing
The Daily Express reported that Cuban state media said the National Defense Council approved “plans and measures” to implement a nationwide “state of war” in response to threats from U.S. President Donald Trump.
The report said the measures would be rooted in the concept of “war of all the people,” a doctrine promoted in the 1980s under Fidel Castro as the Soviet Union collapsed.
The policy is described as requiring civilians to take part in the defence effort if the country is attacked.
To prepare, the Express reported that the Cuban armed forces have trained residents nationwide in combat and weaponry.
Fallout from Venezuela
The Express linked Havana’s stance to the U.S. operation that resulted in Maduro being detained.
It said the Trump administration, including Secretary of State Marco Rubio, predicted Cuba faced imminent collapse and announced it would no longer receive Venezuelan oil.
The report also said Trump had previously tightened pressure on Cuba by intensifying embargoes, blocking fuel and medical supplies, and designating the country a state sponsor of terrorism.
Defiance on display
Cuba’s president Miguel Díaz-Canel has rejected U.S. pressure and frequently appeared in public in a military uniform, the Express reported, while stepping up anti-imperialist messaging and military exercises.
On Sunday, the Cuban military declared its readiness to “defend the homeland, the revolution, and socialism in any circumstance and condition, even death if necessary.”
At a funeral for 32 Cuban guards killed during the Caracas assault, Díaz-Canel told mourners: “homeland or death, we will prevail.”
He added: “We are millions of Cubans, ready to fight if we are attacked with the same ferocity as our 32 fallen combatants,”
Sources: Daily Express
