Cuban Revolutionary Army
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Cuban Revolutionary Army

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. 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.

In 1984, according to Adrian English, there were three major geographical commands, Western, Central, and Eastern. 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:

Units included:

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

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

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