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Conscription is inscribed in the 1976 Constitution of the Republic of Cuba in article 65, stating that "Defense of the socialist homeland is the greatest honor and the supreme duty of every Cuban citizen."[1] There is a military presence through all levels of education in Cuba, however the recruiting process begins in secondary school as nationals, both male and female, are able to enlist in the army from the age of 17.[2]
Conscription is prominent in Cuba's military history as it assists in the understanding of how they built and internally strengthened their martial apparatus. Particularly the establishment of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces in 1959 when Fidel Castro took power saw a systematic restructuring of Cuban defence forces, with a focus on mobilising a large army.[3] Conscription became an important element in assembling what became the second largest standing military in Latin America throughout the late 1970s to the late 1980s, behind Brazil.[4] Defining historical events, such as the Angolan Civil War, occurred whilst conscription was a prominent factor in Cuba's military system. The Revolutionary Armed Forces initiated an extensive military intervention in order to assist the leftist People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA).[citation needed] Upon the dispatch of troops to Angola in 1975, conscription had allowed the Cuban armed forces to grow to a population of 117,000.[3]
The Revolutionary Armed Forces worked towards professionalising the troops by rewarding military development with higher ranks and positions; and modernising their military body by training specialised forces, and promoting the development of knowledge and skill.[3] This assisted in the expansion of their conscription-based army as it portrayed strength and experience to opposing military forces.[3]
- ^ "The Constitution of the Republic of Cuba, 1976 (as Amended to 2002)" (PDF). Retrieved 2019-05-06.
- ^ "Cuba | War Resisters' International". www.wri-irg.org. Retrieved 2019-05-06.
- ^ a b c d Perez, Louis A. (1976). "Army Politics in Socialist Cuba*". Journal of Latin American Studies. 8 (2): 251–271. doi:10.1017/S0022216X00021994. ISSN 1469-767X. S2CID 144013492.
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