ABSTRACT
The Cuban military is the most important institution in contemporary Cuba. The important dimension of the power of the military is their role in decision-making at the national level. While the Politburo of Cuba's Communist Party and the Council of Ministers are important policy making bodies, recommendations made by Raul Castro and his team usually carry significant weight and are adopted as policy. The military has expanded its influence into most key sectors of the economy in an attempt to inject efficiency and increase productivity at a very difficult time as well as to provide a new mission to the members of the armed forces. The military has achieved significant professionalism, legitimacy, and respect. The majority of the post-1959 officers had no previous connections to existing political parties and movements, thus their affiliations and loyalties are associated with developments after the revolution.
