Called “Bastión 2009,” the exercise is meant to ensure that Cuba is optimally prepared to defend its territory—a high priority ever since the Bay of Pigs invasion of 1961, even during difficult economic times. The three day exercises will ring in National Defense Day on November 29.
I am reminded of a Cuban blogger Claudia Cadelo’s post of February 2009 about posters that adorn restaurants and cafes in Havana, advising Cubans (among other things) that “causing the greatest possible number of casualties on the active enemy forces is our main goal.”
As Claudia responded: “[The militaristic mindset encouraged by the Cuban government] makes me wonder if we’re at war and against whom.”