 A veteran of the Cuban Revolution, Valdés fought alongside Fidel Castro at the attack on the Moncada barracks in 1953 and was a founding member of the 26th of July Movement.He has been a member of the Politburo of the Communist Party of Cuba since October 1965, and has held many important governmental posts, including those of Interior Minister and Vice-Prime Minister.On 31 August 2006, he was named Minister of Informatics and Communications.