The U.S. military may be ramping up for a potential Cuba operation, multiple reports suggest.
Two sources familiar with the matter leaked the information to USA Today on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly — a report the U.S. military has yet to verify. Open source intelligence accounts on X also documented the flight path of a drone that appeared to be spying on the communist nation.
“BLKCAT6, a U.S. Navy MQ-4C ‘Triton’ High-Altitude Surveillance Drone flew an over 12-hour mission yesterday off the coast of Cuba, flying rounds over the Gulf of America and Northern Caribbean, taking a particularly close look at both Havana and the area near Guantanamo Bay, before returning to Naval Air Station Jacksonville in Florida,” OSINTdefender posted on X.
The USA Today leak came just over a month after President Donald Trump’s announcement that Cuba’s regime was at “the end of the line” at the Shield of the Americas Summit on March 7.
“As part of our standard responsibilities, U.S. Southern Command routinely reviews and updates contingency plans to ensure readiness and support for U.S. government objectives in the region,” U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) told the Daily Caller News Foundation in an email, when asked whether it is preparing operational plans regarding Cuba.
‘Cuba’s next’
Trump said that it is a possibility that Cuba could be “next” during a speech at an investment forum in Miami on March 27, according to a video that was posted by Reuters.
“I strongly suggest they make a deal, BEFORE IT IS TOO LATE,” Trump had previously said in a January Truth Social post that was reposted by the official White House X account.
“We do not comment on specific operational planning or contingency plans nor speculate on hypothetical scenarios,” SOUTHCOM added. “Any planning activities conducted by U.S. Southern Command are consistent with established Department of War procedures and are closely coordinated with the Pentagon and other relevant agencies as appropriate. This command remains focused on its mission to promote security, stability, and cooperation in the region.”
The U.S. has enforced a de facto oil blockade on Cuba since the January capture of deposed Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro. Allegedly, the U.S. is seeking to bring about regime change in Cuba before the end of the year, the Wall Street Journal reported that month.
The grandson of former Cuban leader Raúl Castro attempted to send a letter to Trump, circumventing diplomatic channels Thursday, according to reporting by the Wall Street Journal. The letter was an attempt to initiate negotiations between Trump and Castro, 94, who still has significant influence over Cuba’s communist government in his retirement, the WSJ reported.
“We may stop by Cuba after we’re finished with this [McDonald’s],” Trump said to reporters on Monday while he was picking up an order from the DoorDash grandma, Sharon Simmons. “We’re going to see with Cuba. Cuba is another story. Cuba’s been a terribly run country for a long time.”
Trump went on to say that Cuba was a failing nation that was horribly run for many years by longtime communist dictator Fidel Castro.
On Jan. 29, Trump signed an executive order titled “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba.”
“I find that the policies, practices, and actions of the Government of Cuba constitute an unusual and extraordinary threat,” the order states. The order declared a national emergency regarding these developments.
“The Government of Cuba has taken extraordinary actions that harm and threaten the United States,” it adds. It also claimed that the Cuban government was collaborating with “transnational terrorists.”
The order provided a list of nations and entities that Cuba works with, including the “Government of the Russian Federation (Russia), the People’s Republic of China (PRC), the Government of Iran, Hamas, and Hezbollah.”
The order additionally authorizes tariffs on countries that provide oil to Cuba, directly or indirectly.
Trump explained at the Shield of the Americas Summit that the communist nation used to get its money and oil from Venezuela, but it does not have access to that anymore after the capture and overthrow of dictator Nicolás Maduro in January.
“They have no money. They have no oil. They have a bad philosophy. They have a bad regime that’s been bad for a long time,” Trump said at the March 7 summit.
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