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The sheriff of Monroe County, Rick Ramsay, whose jurisdiction includes the Florida Keys and Key West, declared this Sunday that no federal or state authority has contacted him regarding reports of a possible military action by the Cuban regime using drones against the Guantanamo naval base.
The sheriff's statement responds to the report published by Axios on Sunday, based on classified intelligence, which claims that Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and has discussed plans to use them against Guantanamo, U.S. military ships, and possibly Key West.
Ramsay was emphatic in his official statement published on X: "I am monitoring the situation, but I have not been contacted by any government agency, and I don't believe there is any reason for concern."
The Sheriff's Office also stated that it cannot confirm the news reports or determine their origin, and that Ramsay has not ordered any operational changes in the agency, including to the patrol and detention deputies.
"I am sure that I will be notified if anything changes and I will alert the public," the sheriff added.
Monroe County is the southernmost jurisdiction of the continental United States, located about 90 miles from Havana, making it the first line of defense against any threat coming from the island.
According to intelligence cited by Axios, Cuba is believed to have acquired drones with "varying capabilities" and stored them in strategic locations throughout Cuban territory. In the past month, regime officials have reportedly requested additional weapons from Russia.
A senior U.S. official summarized Washington's concern: "When we think about those types of technologies being so close, and a range of dangerous actors from terrorist groups to drug cartels, Iranians, and Russians, it is alarming. It is a growing threat."
Despite the seriousness of the reports, U.S. officials themselves clarified that they do not consider Cuba an imminent threat nor do they believe the regime is actively planning to attack U.S. interests.
The Cuban regime avoided explicitly denying the existence of drones, while its foreign ministry discussed "legitimate defense" if Cuba were to be attacked.
The congresswoman María Elvira Salazar described the Cuban drones as a direct threat to national security, while congressman Mario Díaz-Balart warned about the proximity of the Cuban arsenal to the shores of Florida.
The Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, also spoke before Congress: "We have been worried for a long time about a foreign adversary using that kind of location so close to our shores, which is very problematic."
The reports surfaced days after the CIA director, John Ratcliffe, visited Havana last Thursday — the first visit by a director of the agency in more than a decade — to directly warn the regime against any acts of hostility.
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