While the Cuban armed forces are but a shadow of their former self with unserviceable equipment and massive reductions in personnel strength, the country still retains combat capabilities far in excess of any of its Caribbean neighbours.

In May 2002, the then US Undersecretary of State for Arms Control, John Bolton, in his speech at the Heritage Foundation had accused Cuba of having a limited offensive biological warfare programme. But a cursory examination of history shows that the Cubans were in fact 'victims' of American 'germ' attacks in the past.