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U.S. military forces, including Marines and the Navy, have been conducting training in the Caribbean Sea since late January as part of a deployment that Washington connects to the mission of Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) and presidential priorities to disrupt drug trafficking and protect national territory.
Among the documented activities are live-fire exercises aboard the guided-missile destroyer USS Mahan (DDG 72) and flight operations of an MV-22B Osprey involving Marines.
In images shared by authorities, a sailor assigned to the USS Mahan fires a M240B machine gun during a live-fire exercise in the Caribbean, while in another demonstration, a crew member uses an M18 pistol.
Meanwhile, marines are participating in flight operations of an MV-22B Osprey while sailing in the Caribbean, as part of the same deployment.
The U.S. exercise in the Caribbean is presented as part of a deterrence and operational control stance in the region.
In statements, they assert that "the waters of the Caribbean" would not be "a permissive environment" for "malicious actors" or "illicit activities" and that the deployed forces would remain ready to act, including the interdiction of vessels that violate sanctions.
The maneuvers come as political tensions between Washington and Havana escalate due to the tightening of sanctions and U.S. pressure on oil shipments to Cuba.
The escalation also coincides with public signals from Havana expressing a willingness to engage in dialogue "without preconditions," amid mutual warnings regarding sanctions, according to a television report in Florida.
In economic and operational terms, the island is experiencing a severe fuel crisis that is having a direct impact on aviation and tourism, to the extent that Cuba has informed airlines it would be unable to supply aviation fuel for weeks, amid restrictions and pressure on external supplies.
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