"The only way to stop aggression is to make it abundantly clear that, in this case, Cuba will become from one end to the other an enormous wasp's nest that no aggressor, however powerful, will be able to overcome," Defense Minister Raul Castro, number two in the Cuban hierarchy, said as the week-long wargames launched Monday.

"In the end, (the aggressor) will have to withdraw, bloodied and defeated, because this would be a war of all of the people," Castro, a younger brother of President Fidel Castro, warned.

In Washington Monday, asked about the emphasis on repelling a theoretical invasion, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said: "We don't think there is any justification, or any particular foundation for this kind of charge."

"The United States has repeatedly called for a peaceful transition to democracy in Cuba. We think that's what the Cuban people deserve, and we think they deserve it in a peaceful fashion," Boucher said.

These "exercises are just, I would say, one or more of the many things that the Cuban government does to try to distract people from the problems that they face in their daily lives," State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters.

General Leonardo Andollo told reporters on Sunday that MiG-29 jets, anti-aircraft batteries were to be deployed during the weeklong exercises meant to be a warning to Washington that Cuba would vigorously defend itself against US agression.

The mass war games started Monday and are due to run through to December 19.

Senior military and Communist government officials here warned that the administration of US President George W. Bush should take note of the island's war footing.

"The determination of the US administration to destroy the (Cuban) revolution however they can, including militarily, determines the necessity of conducting these exercises," Andollo, the deputy chief of Cuba's Armed Revolutionary Forces (FAR), said.

His comments came days after Raul Castro, Fidel Castro's designated successor, warned Washington should closely observe Cuba's military prowess and civil defenses during the manoeuvres. Raul Castro is the head of the Caribbean island's armed forces.

Operation "Bastion 2004" will involve about 100,000 soldiers, sailors and air force personnel as well as some 400,000 reservists.

Air force MiG-29s, anti-aircraft units and elite troops will also support the operation, billed as Cuba's biggest military exercises since 1986.

Officials said the exercises would also involve several million civilians who will participate in two days of civil defense exercises, including a simulated aerial assault.

The Communist-run island sits some 90 miles (145 kilometers) off the coast of Florida.

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