The National Special Brigade (BEN), commonly known as the “Black Berets,” is an elite force belonging to the Ministry of the Interior (MININT) of Cuba, formally created in August 1980.
Its logistical context includes security operations and adapted vehicles for the rapid deployment of troops in urban environments.
Features
- Main Functions
- Security and Public Order: Acts as a rapid deployment force for maintaining internal order, riot control, and public safety.
- Special Police Operations: Intervenes in highly complex situations such as the capture of high-risk fugitives, hostage rescue, kidnapping response, and combatting organized crime.
- Vehicle Fleet and Logistics
- Although Cuban armed forces and security bodies have historically depended on platforms of Soviet/Russian origin or adaptations of commercial vehicles, the mobility of special units like the Special Brigade relies on:
- Patrol and Light Tactical Transport Vehicles: Use of minibuses, personnel transport trucks, and operational vans adapted for the rapid deployment of troops in urban environments.
- Armored Reconnaissance and Transport Vehicles: Occasional support from light
