Military Threats Against Cuba Ramp Up

A visit to Guantanamo Bay, an interview on Telemundo, and a military exercise highlight that the U.S. is preparing for a war against Cubans

U.S. Marines training exercise at the Naval Base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba | Courtesy of U.S. Southern Command on social media | Public Domain

Warmongering rhetoric against Cuba has escalated in recent days, with suggestions that an attack on the island by the United States may be imminent. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth visited the U.S Naval base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, on Wednesday to deliver tough talk to the troops about the White House’s imperialist foreign policy agenda. His bluster covered many false narratives, including the ridiculous notion that Cuba would attack the U.S.

“It would be unwise of the government of Cuba ​to try to procure or get access to the types of ⁠weapons ​that could reach this ​base or the American homeland,” Hegseth said during his visit to Guantanamo. “They would be inviting the kind of confrontation ​not only ⁠do they not want but they could ⁠not stand … no ​country on Earth can match the capabilities of the United States of America.”

On Wednesday, Puerto Rico’s Secretary of Public Safety, General Art Garffer, threatened the island in an interview with Telemundo, telling Cuban leaders to “go to Russia, China, or North Korea.” As if he hadn’t learned from history, Garffer dismissed the Cuban military’s ability to push back against an invasion. It’s the same attitude the White House had about Iran until it proved it could punch back. He asserted that he expected it on or before July 26, Cuba’s National Rebellion Day, marking the day the tide turned in favor of the 1959 Revolution.

“They are being given several opportunities to go to Russia, to go to China, to go to North Korea, those countries that they love, so let them go there,” Garffer told Telemundo. “If they don’t take this opportunity, there is what is called a decision point, which the administration already has.”

On Thursday, U.S. Marines conducted exercises at the base in a show of force similar to that of Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro’s kidnapping in early January. The exercise was done with the support of the USS Fort Lauderdale, which is designed to transport, deploy, and sustain U.S. Marine expeditionary forces. The ship serves as a sea base supporting amphibious assaults. With the amount of military assets surrounding Cuba and the buildup in Puerto Rico, these movements, along with the rhetoric, seem to indicate an attack is looming

Despite the United Nations highlighting how Cuban children are dying due to Trump’s oil blockade and various groups, such as the International Association of Democratic Lawyers, denouncing U.S. sanctions on Cuba, the United States issued more sanctions today. The latest sanctions on Cuba’s state-owned oil and gas company Union Cuba-Petroleo (CUPET) highlight how the U.S. directly impacts the Cuban people when it targets state-run institutions.

“The fuel restrictions imposed since early 2026 and recent tightening of extraterritorial sanctions, taken together, are directly harming Cubans, especially the most vulnerable,” UN human rights chief Volker Türk said. “Children are dying because doctors lack access to essential medical supplies and medicines. This is unacceptable.”

The White House’s aggression against Cuba under Trump has led to major struggles for Cuba’s healthcare system, its transportation and shipping sectors, and crippling Cuba’s economy. The oil blockade has put Cubans with special medical needs, such as prenatal care or dialysis, at greater risk due to a power grid that relies on oil, which is collapsing. Hospitals, emergency services, and even freshwater infrastructure are all being impacted, alongside hampering food delivery to areas further away from ports.

Despite all of the suffering, the White House seems intent on attacking Cubans and bringing to Cuba what it has more recently exported to Palestine and Iran — killing people, including children, who have never been a threat to the United States. The only other option offered by the White House at this point, outside of war, is to continue the suffering and bring about starvation. An idea that far too many people in power seem to accept or seem thrilled to see.

Arturo is an independent freelance journalist. He has written hundreds of articles on policing, immigration, race, and Latin America. His work has been featured in outlets such as Unicorn Riot, The Antagonist Magazine, Latino Rebels, The Wire, and more.