Havana, November 18 (RHC)-- Cuban President Raúl Castro on Thursday presided over a meeting of the Socio-Economic Body of the country's National Defense Council, as part of this year's  military exercise Bastión 2016.

Participants in the meeting included various members of the Communist Party's Political Bureau, vice presidents, ministers, and other government authorities, as well as commanders and other top officers of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR) and the Ministry of the Interior (MININT).

Bastión 2016 concludes Friday after three days of intense preparation. It is followed by two National Defense Days -- Saturday, November 19th and Sunday, the 20th -- during which FAR and MININT units, along with other institutions and entities belonging to the National Defense System, will carry out maneuvers, aimed at upgrading the country's preparedness to respond to any eventual enemy attack.