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Cuba mobilises the country for two days in the Moncada 2026 strategic exercise

The Cuban government is holding the Moncada 2026 Strategic Exercise across the country on November 4 and 5, with National Defence Day on the 6th, according to Cubadebate. CiberCuba describes a mobilisation organised and led by the Communist Party in the middle of an energy and food crisis.

According to the official notice published by Cubadebate, the exercise runs on November 4 and 5 across the country and aims to “continue raising the level of preparation and cohesion of the leadership and command bodies, the troops, the territorial defence system and the economy at every level in order to face any variant of aggression.” On Friday the 6th, National Defence Day will be held, with the population taking part in defence preparation tasks.

CiberCuba reports that the manoeuvre mobilises the Revolutionary Armed Forces, militias, reservists, civilian structures and sectors of the economy. Roberto Morales Ojeda, organisation secretary of the Communist Party's Central Committee and a Political Bureau member, announced the start on his X account: “Today we begin the Moncada Exercise. For our Party, preparation for defence is a priority and we give it the utmost attention,” in remarks translated by Yamacoa.

The exercise follows the doctrine of the “War of All the People,” pushed by Fidel Castro in the 1980s as a strategy of asymmetric resistance, whose logic aims not at a conventional victory but at raising the human and economic cost of any occupation, according to the same outlet.

The authorities declared 2026 the “Year of Preparation for Defence” as of January 12, when simultaneous exercises began in the Western, Central and Eastern armies, and over the year scenarios have been rehearsed involving enemy landings, anti-tank mine laying, drone use and the mobilisation of reservists, according to CiberCuba.

The outlet places the manoeuvre in a context of U.S. military movements: the day before it began, the United States held the “No Fly Zone” counter-drone exercise at Guantánamo Naval Base, and in April it had run the FLEX2026 exercise in the Florida Keys. CiberCuba notes there is no official confirmation from Washington of any plans for military intervention against Cuba.

Sources: Cubadebate · CiberCuba · Cubadebate · Cubadebate

Data updated: 2026-11-04T16:15:00.000Z

Cuba mobilises the country for two days in the Moncada 2026 strategic exercise | Yamacoa Observatory