SOVIET COASTAL DEFENSE CRUISE MISSILES IN CUBA

• Document Type: CREST
• Collection: General CIA Records
• Document Number (FOIA) /ESDN (CREST): CIA-RDP79T00429A000300040017-5
• Release Decision: RIPPUB
• Original Classification: S
• Document Page Count: 2
• Document Creation Date: December 12, 2016
• Document Release Date: October 23, 2000
• Sequence Number: 17
• Publication Date: January 31, 1963
• Content Type: IM

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Approved For Release 2001103164- ~MR~DP79T0o04299A00g3 $9649011-5
No.
CENTRAL INTELLIGENCE AGENCY
Office of Current intelligence
31 January 1963
CURRENT INTELLIGENCE MEMORANDUM
SUBJECT: Soviet Coastal Defense Cruise Missiles in
Cuba
1. We have confirmed three operational Soviet
coastal defense cruise missile units in Cuba. They
are located in prepared sites at Santa Cruz del Norte,
Banes, and Siguanea on the Isle of Pines. We believe
that there is a fourth operational unit which was
briefly deployed to the south coast (La Sierra) in
November 1962 and then returned to Campo Florido where
it occupies what may be a stand-by and training site.
In addition to these four units, there are two other
cruise missile installations, at Mayari Arriba and
Guerra.
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2. The four known operational units are each
equipped with at least C cruise missiles and pos-
sibly 10, making for a total of 32-40 operational
cruise missiles.
3. We believe that each cruise missile unit
(probably a battalion) normally has 8 missiles--4
for each of its two launchers. The 94 probable
cruise missile crates stored at Mayari Arriba in
the east and Guerra in the west suggests that the
original program called for the deployment of 12
more cruise missile units on the coasts of Cuba.
The coasts east and west of Havana, east of Banes,
east and west of Santiago de Cuba, and the central
southern coasts are likely areas for such deploy-
ments.
4. It seems likely that the USSR intended to
deploy more than the four operational cruise missile
units which have been identified in Cuba. The three
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operational sites now occupied by units give only
scant defense to key areas and possible invasion
points. The long stretch of coast to the east and
west of Santiago de Cuba, and the coast in the
south-central area from the Bay of Pigs east, are
both uncovered, although one unit was deployed
temporarily to the latter in early November. The
deployment of cruise missile equipment may have
been interrupted by the Cuban crisis, which pre-
vented the Soviets (or Cubans) from placing in
operation more than the four units we have seen.
The Soviets may now feel sufficiently confident
of the US attitude toward cruise missiles to
resume the deployment program. However, there
is no evidence of any immediate intent to place
these weapons beyond the appearance of the crates
at Guerra.
5. New units may in time be manned by Cuban
personnel. Several reports
have alleged that the Cuban military eventually were
to be trained in and take control of the coastal
defense cruise missiles.
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Approved For Release 2001 /q, 'R ` RDP79T00429A000300040017-5