🪖
Cuban Regime Military Intelligence
Unified country-MIL intel platform — inventory · operations · bases · fleet · personnel
🚨
[CRITICAL] TODAY'S HEADLINE · 2023-06-01
Iranian and Russian drone deliveries to Cuba 2023-2026
Per the 2026-05-17 US intelligence disclosure, Cuba has received over 300 attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, transported via Russian state air bridge (Aviacon Zitotrans Il-76, RA-78765 among others) and Mahan Air–linked routes. Storage suspected at San Antonio de los Baños airbase and at FAR depots near Mariel.
↗ Source
🪖 Active personnel
149
MIL + HR violators + intel
⚙ Inventory items
49
1 crit · 10 high
🎯 CRIT/HIGH active ops
3
4 active total
🏛 Strategic mil sites
32
air · naval · SIGINT · detention
🌐 Foreign mil presence
15
3 flags · 6 ⚓ · 9 ✈
⚔ Combat-deployed troops
~5,000
sum of COMBAT_ENGAGEMENT ops
🚨 Open MIL patterns
0
CRITICAL + HIGH
Drones
350
[298–438]
→
HIGH
Air defense
100
[85–125]
→
HIGH
Naval
15
[13–19]
→
HIGH
Personnel
343
[292–429]
→
LOW
Foreign advisors
1
[1–1]
→
LOW
SIGINT
7
[6–9]
→
HIGH
Cyber
106
[90–132]
→
LOW
Threat probability
38
[32–48]
→
LOW
| General de Ejército |
2
|
| General de Cuerpo de Ejército |
3
|
| General de Brigada |
1
|
| Coronel |
11
|
| Mayor |
27
|
| Capitán |
7
|
| Teniente |
6
|
Note: rank is derived from current_position_en/es text — ingestion to a dedicated persons.military_rank column pending.
| Category | # | Qty | Updated |
|---|---|---|---|
| 🛩 DRONE 1C 3H | 6 | 350 | outdated 5mo |
| 🛡 GROUND_VEHICLE 1H | 13 | 1,440 | outdated 5mo |
| ✈ AIRCRAFT 1H | 8 | 99 | outdated 5mo |
| 🚀 MISSILE 3H | 6 | 1,180 | outdated 5mo |
| 💥 ARTILLERY 1H | 5 | 170 | outdated 5mo |
| ⛽ FUEL_RESERVE 1H | 1 | — | outdated 5mo |
| 🔫 FIREARMS_STOCK | 5 | 392,000 | outdated 5mo |
| ⚓ NAVAL_ASSET | 3 | 5 | outdated 5mo |
| 💣 AMMUNITION | 1 | — | outdated 5mo |
| 🥘 RATIONS_MRE | 1 | — | outdated 5mo |
🪖 Force Structure — Estimated Strength
·
open-source estimates · force-wide, not named individuals
⚠ Estimates carry real uncertainty — internal-security & informant figures are not published by the regime. Bands show low–high; confidence reflects source quality.
Armed + security (mid est.)
~1.3M
FAR + MININT + special + paramilitary
Informant network (CDR)
~8M
members · domestic surveillance
🪖
Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR)
Cuba's regular military under MINFAR — active personnel.
|
Army (Ejército)
Ground forces; conscript-heavy, equipment largely Soviet-era.
|
35k–40k
conf: MED
|
|
Navy (Marina de Guerra Revolucionaria)
Small coastal navy; limited blue-water capability.
|
2.5k–3.5k
conf: MED
|
|
Air & Air Defence Force (DAAFAR)
Aging MiG fleet; SAM-based air defence.
|
6k–8k
conf: MED
|
|
Ready Reserves
Trained reservists subject to recall.
|
~39k
conf: LOW
|
🛡
Ministry of the Interior (MININT)
Internal security, intelligence and police apparatus — secret police and uniformed police.
|
State Security (Seguridad del Estado / DSE)
Secret police / counter-intelligence. Headcount opaque; widely-cited estimate ~20k officers, far more part-time collaborators.
|
15k–30k
conf: LOW
|
|
National Revolutionary Police (PNR)
Uniformed national police under MININT.
|
10k–20k
conf: LOW
|
|
Border Guard Troops (Tropas Guardafronteras)
Coastal/maritime border control; intercepts migrant and smuggling craft.
|
6k–7k
conf: MED
|
🐝
Special Forces
Elite units. NOTE: 'Avispas Negras' (Black Wasps) are MININT special-operations troops — distinct from the 'Red Avispa' (Wasp Network) foreign spy ring.
|
Black Wasps (Avispas Negras — MININT Special Troops)
Elite counter-terror / special-operations unit. Strength not published; analyst estimate.
|
1k–5k
conf: LOW
|
|
FAR Special Operations (Tropas Especiales FAR)
Military special-operations forces under MINFAR.
|
2k–6k
conf: LOW
|
⚙
Paramilitary & Mass Mobilization
Militia and labour-army formations available for mobilization.
|
Youth Labour Army (EJT)
Conscript labour force under MINFAR; agricultural/construction tasking.
|
60k–70k
conf: MED
|
|
Civil Defence Force
Disaster-response / civil-defence organization.
|
~50k
conf: LOW
|
|
Territorial Troops Militia (MTT)
Mass reserve militia; nominal strength ~1M, real readiness far lower.
|
500k–1M
conf: LOW
|
👁
Surveillance & Informant Network
Civilian surveillance network — the regime's domestic 'eyes and ears'.
|
Committees for the Defence of the Revolution (CDR) — members
Neighbourhood-watch / block-surveillance organization. Membership ~8M covers most adults; not all are active informants, but it is the backbone of domestic monitoring.
|
6M–8.4M
conf: LOW
|
Primary sources: IISS — The Military Balance 2024
· CIA World Factbook — Cuba (Military and Security)
· GlobalSecurity.org — Cuba Military
· updated 2026-05-20
📦 Equipment Acquisition Timeline
·
🗓 what they have / how old it is
⚠ Cuba's arsenal is overwhelmingly Soviet-era (1960s–1991). After the USSR dissolved the supply line ended — most platforms are now grounded, stored, cannibalised for parts, or retired. Quantities are open-source estimates.
✈
Air
|
MiG-21 'Fishbed' fighters
USSR 1960s · Multiple variants delivered through the 1960s–1980s; many dozens at peak.
Status: Largely retired/stored; a handful possibly airworthy. Backbone of the early DAAFAR; airframes now decades past intended service life.
|
conf: HIGH
|
|
MiG-23 'Flogger' fighters
USSR 1970s · MiG-23 deliveries from the late 1970s into the 1980s (~50+).
Status: Mostly grounded; limited if any operational airframes. The 1987 'MiG-23 over Florida' incident underscored how forward this fleet once was.
|
conf: HIGH
|
|
MiG-29 'Fulcrum' fighters
USSR 1990 · Roughly a dozen delivered 1989–1990, just before the USSR collapsed.
Status: Cuba's most modern fighters, but few likely airworthy due to parts/funding. Last major combat-aircraft transfer before the Soviet supply line ended.
|
conf: HIGH
|
|
Mi-8/Mi-17 'Hip' helicopters
USSR 1970s · Transport/utility helicopters delivered through the 1970s–1980s.
Status: Some still in service for transport; airframes aging. Rotary fleet has more practical residual utility than the fast-jet fleet.
|
conf: MED
|
📡
Air Defence
|
S-75 Dvina (SA-2 'Guideline') SAM
USSR 1960s · First strategic SAM system; central to the 1962 Missile Crisis air-defence picture.
Status: Largely obsolete; many sites inactive. A U.S. U-2 was downed by an SA-2 over Cuba in October 1962.
|
conf: HIGH
|
|
S-125 Neva (SA-3 'Goa') SAM
USSR 1970s · Low-to-medium-altitude SAM delivered in the 1970s.
Status: Aging; limited operational readiness. Complemented the SA-2 in the layered Soviet-pattern air-defence net.
|
conf: MED
|
|
2K12 Kub (SA-6 'Gainful') mobile SAM
USSR 1980s · Mobile medium-range SAM delivered in the 1980s.
Status: Aging; readiness uncertain. More survivable than fixed SA-2/SA-3 sites due to mobility.
|
conf: MED
|
🛡
Armour
|
T-54/T-55 main battle tanks
USSR 1960s · Several hundred delivered from the 1960s; mainstay of the armoured force.
Status: Many in storage; some reportedly dug in as static gun emplacements. Cuba has reportedly converted some hulls to static coastal-defence gun positions.
|
conf: HIGH
|
|
T-62 main battle tanks
USSR 1970s · Delivered in the 1970s to complement the T-54/55 fleet.
Status: Aging; readiness low, limited spares. More capable than the T-55 but still a 1960s-design platform.
|
conf: MED
|
|
BMP-1 infantry fighting vehicles
USSR 1980s · Tracked IFVs delivered in the 1970s–1980s.
Status: Aging mechanised-infantry mounts; mixed readiness. Standard Warsaw-Pact-era IFV; no modern replacement acquired.
|
conf: MED
|
|
BTR-60/BTR-152 armoured personnel carriers
USSR 1970s · Wheeled APCs delivered across the 1960s–1980s.
Status: Aging; partial readiness. Soviet wheeled APC family typical of client-state inventories of the period.
|
conf: MED
|
|
Post-1991 refurbishment & locally upgraded systems
Cuba 2000s · After 1991 Cuba largely refurbished and improvised rather than buying new — e.g. dug-in tanks, locally re-engined vehicles.
Status: Stop-gap measures to keep Soviet-era kit nominally usable. Reflects the absence of a modern external supplier after the Soviet collapse.
|
conf: LOW
|
⚓
Naval
|
Osa-class missile fast attack craft
USSR 1970s · Styx-armed missile boats delivered through the 1970s–1980s.
Status: Largely retired/non-operational; few if any active. Once the main anti-ship punch of the Cuban navy.
|
conf: MED
|
|
Komar-class missile boats
USSR 1960s · Early Styx missile boats delivered in the 1960s.
Status: Long retired. Predecessor to the larger Osa-class FACs.
|
conf: MED
|
|
Koni-class frigate
USSR 1980s · Single Koni-class frigate (the largest combatant Cuba operated).
Status: Retired/decommissioned. Cuba never sustained a true blue-water surface combatant capability after retirement.
|
conf: MED
|
|
Foxtrot-class diesel-electric submarines
USSR 1980s · Up to three Foxtrot-class submarines transferred in the 1980s.
Status: Long retired; Cuba has no operational submarine force. Operated only briefly; never a sustained sub-surface capability.
|
conf: MED
|
🚀
Missile
|
FROG-7 (Luna-M) artillery rockets
USSR 1980s · Short-range unguided battlefield rockets delivered in the 1980s.
Status: Aging; operational status unclear. Battlefield rocket system, not a strategic missile.
|
conf: LOW
|
|
P-15 Termit (SS-N-2 'Styx') anti-ship missiles
USSR 1960s · Anti-ship missiles arming the Komar/Osa missile boats.
Status: Effectively obsolete with the retirement of their launch platforms. Some reportedly adapted to coastal-defence launchers.
|
conf: MED
|
🎯
Infantry
|
Russian/Venezuelan/Chinese small-arms & parts (limited)
Russia / Venezuela / China 2000s · Limited, poorly documented post-2000 transfers of small arms, spares and light equipment.
Status: Trickle imports; no major platform recapitalisation. Scale and details are uncertain; treat as low-confidence indicators of continued supplier ties.
|
conf: LOW
|
Primary sources: SIPRI Arms Transfers Database
· IISS — The Military Balance
· GlobalSecurity.org — Cuba Military
· updated 2026-05-20
🛰 Intel Coverage — How Far Back We Can See
·
📅 per-source historical floor & blind spots
Earliest = practical floor of usable data on the open/free tier (not necessarily the source's founding date). Live = real-time / near-real-time feed. Documenting our own blind spots is part of the analysis.
| Source | Earliest | Live? | What it can / cannot see |
|---|---|---|---|
| ⚓ Maritime | |||
| MarineTraffic / AIS (vessel tracking) | 2004 | ● live | AIS adoption ~2004; free tier shows current positions with no deep archive. Blind to AIS-dark vessels and spoofed identities — exactly the dark-fleet behaviour we hunt. |
| ✈ Air | |||
| FlightRadar24 / ADS-B Exchange / OpenSky (aircraft tracking) | 2016 | ● live | Crowd-sourced ADS-B coverage practically usable from ~2016; ADS-B Exchange shows un-filtered military/state traffic. Blind where transponders are switched off. |
| 📰 News/Legal | |||
| GDELT (global news events) | 1979 | ● live | GDELT 1.0 indexes world news events back to 1979; near-real-time updates. Strong for event/tone trends, weak for primary-document verification. |
| CourtListener (US court records) | 1999 | ● live | Coverage thins before ~1999 and is sparse before ~1990; PACER-linked dockets and opinions. Good for indictments/litigation, blind to sealed matters. |
| ⚖ Sanctions | |||
| OFAC SDN list (sanctions designations) | n/a | ● live | Dated per entry; deep historical designations reachable via the SDN list and archives. Sees designated parties only — not undisclosed front companies until added. |
| ✊ Human Rights | |||
| Prisoners Defenders (human-rights / political prisoners) | 2019 | ● live | Monthly political-prisoner lists from ~2019 onward. Pre-2019 repression requires Cuba Archive (documented cases since 1959). |
| 🗄 Leaks | |||
| ICIJ Offshore Leaks (Panama/Paradise/Pandora Papers) | n/a | ○ static | Static leak datasets covering offshore structures across many decades; not a live feed. Loaded locally from ICIJ's ODbL bulk dataset (icij_offshore.db) into a review-only table — nothing auto-promotes. Sees only entities present in the leaked records; presence is not evidence of wrongdoing. |
| 💬 Social | |||
| 2005 | ● live | Public posts/comments from 2005; useful for diaspora chatter and early eyewitness reports. Noisy, requires corroboration. | |
| Telegram | 2013 | ● live | Public channels from 2013; key for on-the-ground Cuban reporting and protest coordination. Private channels are not visible. |
| Truth Social | 2022 | ● live | Launched 2022; relevant for US official/political statements. Narrow scope. |
| X / Twitter | 2006 | ○ static | NO automated coverage since 2026-05-21. The Nitter mirrors this platform relied on all went dead (NXDOMAIN) and X has no free API; the scan_nitter feed was retired 2026-09-23. X can still be read by an operator through a Mode-A browser sweep, but there is no live automated feed. Treat X as an uncovered blind spot. |
updated 2026-09-23
🔥 Top-5 most-threatening assets
| # | Designation | Category | Threat | Qty | Updated | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Cuba attack-drone stockpile (aggregate) Cuban regime attack-drone stockpile (300+, aggregate) |
DRONE | CRITICAL 🇺🇸 | 300–500 | outdated 5mo | ↗ |
| 2 | 9K32 Strela-2 (SA-7 Grail) 9K32 Strela-2 / SA-7 Grail MANPADS (legacy) |
MISSILE | HIGH 🇺🇸 | 300–1000 | outdated 5mo | ↗ |
| 3 | 9K34 Strela-3 (SA-14 Gremlin) 9K34 Strela-3 / SA-14 Gremlin MANPADS |
MISSILE | HIGH 🇺🇸 | 200–600 | outdated 5mo | ↗ |
| 4 | MiG-29 MiG-29 Fulcrum (Cuban Revolutionary Air Force) |
AIRCRAFT | HIGH 🇺🇸 | 2–6 | outdated 5mo | ↗ |
| 5 | Mohajer-6 Iranian Mohajer-6 MALE drone (UNCONFIRMED in Cuban service) |
DRONE | HIGH 🇺🇸 | outdated 5mo | ↗ |
📡 Recent military activity
·
last 14d · ops · alerts · naval · air · sanctions
12 rows
🌐 Foreign military presence
·
6 ⚓ · 9 ✈
non-Cuba flags
⚓ Vessels
| ADMIRAL GRIGOROVICH | Russia | FRIGATE | — |
| CNS SILK ROAD ARK | China | LOGISTICS | — |
| RFS SOOBRAZITELNY | Russia | FRIGATE | — |
| USAV WILSON WHARF | United States | LOGISTICS | — |
| USNS LARAMIE (T-AO-203) | United States | LOGISTICS | — |
| USS WICHITA (LCS-13) | United States | PATROL | — |
✈ Aircraft
| 169806 | United States | UAV | outdated 5mo |
| F5N-USN-CUBA-FLYBY | United States | FIGHTER | outdated 6mo |
| RA-26226 | Russia | PATROL | outdated 6mo |
| 99-0006 | United States | TRANSPORT | outdated 6mo |
| MQ4C-USN-CUBA-ISR | United States | UAV | outdated 6mo |
| RC135V-USAF-CUBA-ISR | United States | INTEL | outdated 6mo |
| P8A-USN-CUBA-ISR | United States | PATROL | outdated 6mo |
| B-2818 | China | INTEL | outdated 6mo |
| E2D-USN-CUBA-AEW | United States | INTEL | outdated 6mo |
SIGINT
Spy base
Naval
Air base
MIL station / detention