By Alina Perera Robbio
Presidency of Cuba
This Saturday morning, the President of the National Defense Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, witnessed combat exercises in defense of the country and was able to assess—on National Defense Day—the cohesion among the different components of the territorial defense system.
“The best way to avoid aggression is for imperialism to have to calculate the price of attacking our country. And that has a lot to do with our preparedness for this type of military action.” This is what the President of the National Defense Council, Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, said this Saturday morning as he began a day of observing combat exercises on National Defense Day.
The Cuban president’s first visit was to a tactical demonstration exercise at the “Rescue of Sanguily” Tank Unit of the Combat Glory, where he was accompanied by Army Corps General and Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), Álvaro López Miera; Army Corps General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister and Chief of the General Staff of the FAR—both members of the Political Bureau; and Army Corps General and Deputy Minister of the FAR, Joaquín Quintas Solá, among other Armed Forces leaders.
At the end of the exercise, the President of the National Defense Council congratulated the combatants. He stated: “This takes on significant importance in these times.” He was referring to the changes the world has experienced since the early morning of January 3rd, “as a result of the hegemonic offensive being waged by the United States government.”
Addressing the assembled troops, the First Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba emphasized that the country, as part of its readiness for defense and in the interest of the people’s war, has been conducting the exercise involving combined forces from regular units, the Territorial Troop Militias (MTT), and the Production and Defense Brigades.
Speaking to the ranks of those representing the three branches of the armed forces, the president recalled that this phase of preparation and demonstration began three weeks ago. He praised the admirable levels of “preparation, cohesion, and cooperation among the different components of the territorial defense system.”
This, he said, “confirms that this intense, systematic, and rigorous program of preparation for the defense of the entire territorial defense system is already yielding concrete results. It also strengthens our patriotism, our anti-imperialism, and our unity.”
“By participating in this way, preparing ourselves for the defense of the Homeland, we achieve unity, and when we have united, history has shown that we have always achieved victory,” emphasized the President of the National Defense Council.
Díaz-Canel Bermúdez highlighted “the success of this exercise”; and for this reason, he congratulated the commanders, the officers who organized it, “and all our combatants, from both the Revolutionary Armed Forces and the Territorial Troop Militias and the Production and Defense Brigades, for the levels of preparedness they have demonstrated.”
Later, at the Large Tank Unit, Díaz-Canel Bermúdez commended the performance of university students in live-fire exercises, who are reinforcing their skills in rifle assembly and disassembly, mine handling, and other combat maneuvers. To them, the dignitary emphasized:
“This level of preparation you are developing during this time is very important to us, because we truly need to be prepared,” said the Head of State, who underscored the idea that “the best way to avoid aggression, as Fidel and Raúl have always warned us, is to be prepared for defense.”
He also commented to the university students on the significance of their willingness, as it constitutes an expression “of support for the Revolution.” The president asked the young people if they felt they had made good use of these hours, and if everything they practiced had been done with quality.
From the group, a young woman emphasized: “No one here surrenders!” And once again, the collective cry of “Homeland or death! We will overcome!” arose; along with the heartfelt “No one here surrenders!” and “Until victory, always!” At all Cuban universities, future professionals will have training experiences like the one this Saturday.
The next stop on the itinerary was an anti-aircraft defense unit. There, the Head of State learned details about the living conditions of the combatants; he confirmed the excellent state of the combat equipment; and he was able to witness demonstrations on the ground of what Cuban forces would do in the event of an enemy attack.
IMAGE CREDIT: Foto > Estudios Revolución
[ SOURCE: cubainformacion.tv ]
