The United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) released a video this Tuesday showcasing the results of the FLEX2026 exercise, conducted in Key West, Florida, where it deployed a complete chain of surveillance, tracking, and interdiction with cutting-edge autonomous and unmanned systems to counter threats in the region.
The exercise, organized by the U.S. Southern Naval Force/4th Fleet from April 24 to April 30, integrated long-endurance drones, unmanned surface vehicles, and aerial platforms with the USS Wichita ship and MH-60 helicopters, demonstrating what its organizers described as operational capability ranging from surveillance to lethal response.
Among the deployed systems were the Vanilla UAS drone, the unmanned surface vehicle Tsunami USV, the Orca UAS, and the Aerosonde UAS, all coordinated to detect and neutralize vessels linked to drug trafficking in the Caribbean.
An officer from SOUTHCOM featured in the video summarized the scope of the operation: "It's fast and effective, ranging from domain awareness to lethal capability. We have the ability to execute unilateral action or work with partners to kinetic response if required."
The most significant result of the exercise was the formal establishment of the SOUTHCOM Autonomous Warfare Command (SAWC), created on April 21 by order of Navy General Francis L. Donovan, based in Miami.
The SAWC was designed to employ autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms in support of SOUTHCOM's regional missions, including combating narcoterrorist networks and cartels, as well as responding to large-scale natural disasters.
The new command will coordinate with the Department of Defense's Autonomous Warfare Group to identify the necessary capabilities and achieve full operational capability.
Additionally, a report recently published by The Wall Street Journal (WSJ), based on aerial tracking maps, revealed that U.S. military aircraft have accumulated over 150 hours of surveillance and intelligence flights around Cuba since February 4, 2026.
The available positioning data allows for tracking more than 20 reconnaissance missions, the majority of which launched from a naval station in Jacksonville, Florida.
This technological deployment contrasts sharply with the state of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR), which operate with Soviet anti-air systems from the 60s and 80s —S-75, S-125, 2K12 Kub, and 9M33 OSA-AKM— without any confirmed modern acquisitions.
In the same weeks, the Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) released a military training video on social media that triggered widespread mockery among Cuban users, who scoffed at the poor conditions of the soldiers and the outdated equipment.
In parallel, intelligence reports cited by Axios indicated in May a possible Cuban purchase of more than 300 military drones, potentially of Russian or Chinese origin, in the context of new negotiations for military cooperation between Russia and Cuba.
The Cuban Deputy Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío did not deny this information and simply stated that "Cuba has the right to defend itself."
This scenario—The United States deploying cutting-edge autonomous systems 90 miles from Cuba while Havana seeks drones and Russian cooperation—defines the new military balance in the Caribbean in 2026.
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