Pentagon Quietly Advances Plans for Potential Cuba Military Operation
The Pentagon is discreetly accelerating preparations for a potential U.S. military operation in Cuba, according to recent reports. Contingency plans are being developed in case President Donald Trump orders direct intervention on the communist-run island nation, though no invasion has been officially announced.
Sources Reveal White House Directive
Two sources familiar with the matter told USA Today on Wednesday that planning groundwork is being laid for this contingency. Additional sources informed Zeteo earlier this week that the Pentagon received a directive directly from the White House to prepare for possible military action in the Caribbean region.
A Pentagon spokesperson declined to comment on the reports and instead referred inquiries to U.S. Southern Command, which oversees military operations in Latin America. A spokesperson for Southern Command stated he did not "know anything about" plans involving Cuba and highlighted March congressional testimony by General Francis Donovan, head of Southern Command, who denied the U.S. was actively rehearsing or planning for a takeover of Cuba.
Trump's Rhetoric and Policy Actions
President Trump, who has ordered military operations in multiple nations during his second term including Iran, Venezuela, Ecuador, Nigeria, and Somalia, has frequently and openly mused about seizing control of Cuba. Last month, he told reporters he believes he will have "the honor of taking Cuba," adding he "can do anything I want with it."
On Monday, the 79-year-old president remarked, "We may stop by Cuba after we're finished with this," referring to the ongoing Iran war, which negotiators are attempting to resolve before a two-week ceasefire expires.
Beyond his fiery rhetoric, Trump has implemented aggressive policies towards Cuba, a U.S. adversary since the 1959 revolution. He has imposed steep tariffs on the island nation and threatened duties on goods from countries that export oil to Cuba. The U.S. has also seized multiple oil tankers bound for the country, exacerbating Cuba's energy crisis.
Cuban Response and Public Opinion
Cuban President Miguel Diaz-Canel has repeatedly denounced the Trump administration's hostile rhetoric and tactics. In January, he wrote on social media that Cuba is "a free, independent and sovereign nation" and that his government was "ready to defend the homeland to the last drop of blood."
During his first interview on American television this weekend, Diaz-Canel told NBC News that Trump's aggression towards Cuba is unjustified and warned that a conflict would be costly. "If that happens, there will be fighting, and there will be a struggle, and we will defend ourselves, and if we need to die, we'll die," he stated.
According to a CNN survey released earlier this month, a large majority of Americans, 64 percent, disapprove of Trump's handling of foreign affairs, with only 36 percent expressing approval.
