Díaz-Canel Leads National Defense Day in Mayabeque Province

Miguel Díaz-Canel Bermúdez, President of the National Defense Council, accompanied by the Minister of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera, led the National Defense Day activities in the province of Mayabeque on Friday.

According to reports from the Cuban Presidency and Diario de Mayabeque, the day's exercises took place in the Northern Defense Zone of San José de las Lajas and were designed to assess the territorial defense apparatus and the operational readiness of the Municipal Defense Council working groups.

Also in attendance were the Commander of the Western Army, Division General Ernest Feijóo Eiró; the President of the Provincial Defense Council, Edelso Antonio Ramos Linares; and the Council's Vice President, Manuel Aguiar Lamas, among other senior officials who evaluated the principal activities.

Assessments focused on the performance of command staff and economic-social working groups, as well as the combat cohesion of Production and Defense Brigades. Exercises included live-fire drills, weapons handling, military medical response, mine installation, and protection against weapons of mass destruction.

The Territorial Troops Militias conducted training with anti-aircraft artillery pieces, fuse preparation, and the handling of live munitions as part of their combat readiness program.

The final tactical exercise combined Production and Defense Brigades with regular military units, with the stated objective of containing a simulated enemy advance toward a strategically significant economic target within the defense zone.

Maykel Zayas Héctor, President of the Municipal Defense Zone, stated that National Defense Day made it possible to verify the effectiveness of working groups, strengthen coordination among the parties involved, and consolidate the operational knowledge of the brigades — all in keeping with the country's strategic concept of a whole-of-nation defense.