POWER ELITE OF CUBA General of the Army Raúl Castro (86 years old) First Secretary of the Communist Party An intolerant Marxist-Leninist, Raúl Castro is a highly organized, cautious and clannish leader with an unwavering commitment to Communism, Russia, Iran and Venezuela. In March 1953, Raúl traveled to Vienna (four months before the “Moncada”) to attend the Moscow sponsored World Youth Conference. Afterwards, he went to Budapest, Prague and Bucharest. He liked what he saw. During this trip he established a long-lasting friendship with Nikolai Leonov, a KGB espionage officer that later turned out to be a useful link with the Kremlin. Raúl recalled that from that moment on “he was ready to die for the Communist cause.” Declassified KGB documents offer evidence that Fidel Castro “deliberately made a Marxist of Raul.” At 22, back in Cuba, Raúl joined the Cuban Communist Party Youth Branch (CCP). Latter while in Mexico for the “Granma” operation, Raúl struck up a close ideological friendship with Ernesto “Che” Guevara and forged a commitment to create a Marxist society in Cuba. In 1963, Raúl was the official link between Fidel and Nikita Khrushchev to deploy nuclear missiles in Cuba. At 86, he still remains strongly attached to his lifelong ideology. While he is healthy and running Cuba, individual rights and private property will be forbidden in the island. (A car and a house are the exceptions). There are reports stating that Raúl is having health issues. Commander of the Rebel Army José Machado Ventura (87 years old) Second Secretary of the Communist Party A medical doctor, Machado was appointed to the Politburo in 1975. He is a hardline Communist ideologue and a key member of Raul Castro’s inner circle of power. As Second Secretary of the Communist Party, Machado is the immediate successor of Raúl Castro as Interim First Secretary of the Communist Party, until ratified or substituted by the Politburo. Machado has been effective in the selection of younger Communist leaders, like Miguel Díaz-Canel, Lázara López and Lázaro Expósito in the succession process. He remains close to Raúl Castro and committed to safeguard Communism as an irreversible revolutionary dogma. POWER ELITE OF CUBA General Luis Alberto Rodríguez López-Callejas (57 years old) President of GAESA Son of General Guillermo Rodríguez and father of Captain Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez Castro (grandson of Raúl Castro and head of his bodyguards). López-Callejas leads GAESA, a gigantic conglomerate of state and mixed enterprises that manages over 65% of the legal and illegal financial deals of the Cuban Government (highly secret operation), including the Port of Mariel’s developing enterprises, and a distribution partnership with the Colombian and Venezuelan drug cartels. General Rodríguez is the czar of the economy and a powerful heir to the military dynasty. Member of the Communist Party Central Committee. Colonel (R) Miguel Díaz-Canel (57 years old) President of the Council of State and Ministers Member of the Communist Party Politburo Díaz-Canel is a Colonel of the FAR and a Civil Engineer. From 2009-2012, he was Minister of Higher Education. A protégée of Ramon Machado Ventura and close collaborator of Colonel Alejandro Castro. The power of his new political role will depend on his personal administrative abilities to navigate a very difficult assignment as President. Coronel Alejandro Castro Espín (53 years old) Son of Raúl Castro Intelligence Coordinator of the Armed Forces and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) From this position of extraordinary power, Alejandro Castro was involved in the Moscow meetings and in planning the details of President Vladimir Putin’s trip to Havana. (2014). He also led secret talks with the Vatican prior to the normalization of diplomatic relations between the U.S. and Cuba, and participated with his father Raúl Castro and President Obama in meetings in Havana. He has a degree in Diplomatic Relations. In spite of his rank, he is a very powerful figure in the succession process. POWER ELITE OF CUBA Army Corps General Leopoldo Cintras Frías (73 years old) Minister of the Armed Forces (MINFAR) Member of the Communist Party Politburo Chief of the Western Strategic Region. Expert in the deployment of armored units. He distinguished himself in Africa where he commanded the southern front. Lacking charisma, he is reliable and loyal to Raúl Castro. Former Chief of the Western Army. General Cintras is highly esteemed within the FAR officers. Army Corps General Álvaro López Miera (71 years old) First Vice Minister of the MINFAR Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Member of the Communist Party Politburo Veteran of guerrilla struggles in Cuba and Africa. Astute and discreet, he is respected by the officer corps. Through the years, Lopez Miera developed a close bond with Raul Castro and Vilma Espin’s family. He’s one of the ranking generals in the succession process. Army Corps General Ramón Espinosa (78 years old) Vice Chairman of the Armed Forces Member of the Communist Party Politburo Chief of the Eastern Strategic Regions Veteran of the African campaigns. He was severely wounded in Angola. Former Chief of the Eastern Army. General Espinosa is well regarded in Raúl Castro’s inner circle of power. POWER ELITE OF CUBA Army Corp General Joaquín Quintas Solá (79 years old) Vice Minister of the MINFAR Chief of the Central Strategic Region Quintas Sola joined Raúl Castro’s guerrillas (1958) in the Sierra Cristal. In May 1976, he replaced the wounded General Ramon Espinosa as Chief of the Cabinda front in Angola. From 1987-2008 was Chief of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) Central Army. Member of the Communist Party Central Committee. Commander of the Rebel Army Ramiro Valdés (85 years old) Member of the Communist Party Politburo Veteran of the Moncada, the Granma and the Sierra Maestra guerrillas. Founder of the State Security Service, (including MININT), was trained by the East German Stassi in the application of terror, torture and executions of oppositionists. Ramiro Valdés has been very active setting up the intelligence and repressive apparatus in Venezuela Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla (60 years old) Minister of Foreign Affairs, 2009-Present Member of the Communist Party Politburo He is an attorney and served in Angola on the internationalist missions as a junior officer in the FAR. From 1995-2003 he was the Cuban Ambassador to the United Nations. In 2004, he was appointed First Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs for Latin America and Minister of Foreign Affairs in 2009. At the University of Havana, he was a leader of the F.E.U. (Federación Estudiantil Universitaria). A director of Juventud Rebelde magazine. A Member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party, and in 2012 was appointed to the Politburo. He is considered a future alternative to Díaz-Canel if he fails in his task as President of the Council of State and Ministers. POWER ELITE OF CUBA Esteban Lazo Hernández (74 years old) President of the National Assembly of the Peoples Power since 2013 Member of the Communist Party Politburo He is the highest-ranking Cuban of African decent in the Communist government. He controls the National Assembly. Highly influential within the “nomenclatura” for his direct access to Machado Ventura and Raúl Castro. Lázara López Acea (54 years old) Vice President of the Council of State Member of the Communist Party Politburo A professional engineer, Lázara is perceived as an influential woman in the Communist Government “nomenclatura.” Former First Secretary of the Cuban Communist Party in Havana. Like in the case of Díaz- Canel and Esteban Lazo, her political “godfather” is Machado Ventura, a communist hardliner. Coronel Marino Murillo Jorge (56 years old) Chairman of the Economic Policy Commission Member of the Communist Party Politburo Marino Murillo was a prominent member of the Union of Young Communists. He is a graduate of the National Defense College. From 2006-2009 was Minister of International Trade. From 2009-2011, was Minister of Economic and Planning. In 2011 he was appointed Chairman of the Economic Policy Commission. As Chairman, Murillo is in charge of implementing Raúl Castro and GAESA’s economic updating of Cuba’s system. On August 2012, a daughter of Murillo entered the U.S. though Laredo Texas and settled in Tampa, Florida. POWER ELITE OF CUBA Division General Leonardo Andollo (71 years old) Second Chief of Staff, MINFAR and Chief of Operations Veteran of wars in Africa. He attended the Voroshilov Military Academy (1974-1976) for training as military engineer and logistics. Andollo is working with General Luis Alberto Rodríguez in the development of the Port of Mariel enterprise. He travels frequently to Caracas where for years he has excellent operational relations with the Venezuelan military in the transshipment of drugs from Colombia and Bolivia. Andollo has a Ph.D. in military engineering, is executive director of the “Implementation and Development of the Cuban Economy,” and a Member of the Communist Party Central Committee. He has a son living the U.S. and a daughter that resides in Yucatan, Mexico. Division General Francis Pardo (76 years old) Vice Minister of the MININT Veteran of the African Wars. General Francis Pardo is one of the most powerful officers in the Armed Forces. He served as chief of the security for Fidel Castro. Later he became Chief of the Personal Security Directorate of the MININT including all prominent officials of the Cuban government. Recently he had severe health issues but reappeared in March 2018, in Caracas, with General Raul Castro. His command included an “elite” group of more than 3000 troopers stationed in the Havana area. Captain Raúl Guillermo Rodríguez, Castro’s grandson, is under his supervision, been trained for higher ranks and security responsibilities.