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General Francis L. Donovan, head of the United States Southern Command, met on Friday with senior Cuban military officials at the perimeter of the Guantanamo Naval Base, in what Reuters described as the first such meeting recalled in recent times between a head of Southern Command and military officials of the Cuban regime.
The meeting was brief and focused, according to the agency, on "operational security matters." The gathering did not take place inside Cuban territory or within detention facilities, but rather at the very edge of the base, one of the most symbolic and sensitive points in the bilateral relationship between Washington and Havana.
The fact gains diplomatic and military relevance due to its unprecedented nature, regardless of its immediate operational scope.
Since the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, direct military contacts between the two countries have been extremely scarce and restricted almost exclusively to operational matters in the vicinity of the base.
There are no public records documenting that a sitting chief of the U.S. military command has previously traveled to the island to hold official meetings with senior officials of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (FAR).
Although there have been bilateral contacts on specific issues of security, migration, and coordination regarding the Guantanamo Naval Base, these exchanges have generally occurred at technical or diplomatic levels and not through public meetings between the highest military officials of both sides.
In recent years, SOUTHCOM commanders such as General Laura Richardson, Admiral Alvin Holsey, and other high-ranking officials have publicly addressed issues related to Cuba and have engaged in discussions with U.S. diplomatic representatives responsible for the island.
However, these meetings have taken place in the United States, primarily in Miami, Doral, or Washington, with no reports of official visits to Havana.
Meeting amid tensions
The meeting takes place against a backdrop of increasing activity from Southern Command regarding Cuba in 2026. On May 21, Donovan met with Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth at the Pentagon amid a rise in regional tensions related to the island.
On May 5, Donovan participated alongside Secretary of State Marco Rubio in the 2026 Conference of Chiefs of Mission held in Doral, Florida, the headquarters of Southern Command. A map of Cuba was visibly displayed in the background during the meeting, and Rubio himself acknowledged that the gathering "had something to do with Cuba."
Mike Hammer, mission chief of the United States in Cuba, also took part in that conference. In March, Hammer had already met with Donovan in Miami to specifically address the Cuban situation.
Southern Command has assessed contingency scenarios related to Cuba, including potential humanitarian crises or mass exoduses.
However, Donovan has publicly dismissed any plans for offensive military action. Before the U.S. Senate, the general stated: "There are no drills or military preparations to invade, occupy, or control Cuba."
Donovan specified that the focus of the Southern Command is limited to three objectives: to defend the U.S. embassy in Havana, protect the Guantanamo base, and respond to a possible mass migration from the island.
On May 24, Donovan landed in Caracas to oversee the U.S. plan in Venezuela, highlighting the intense regional agenda of the South Command chief in recent weeks, with Cuba and Venezuela as focal points of attention.
La Base Naval de Guantánamo, establecida tras la guerra hispano-cubano-estadounidense de 1898 y mantenida bajo arrendamiento forzoso desde entonces, es el principal símbolo de la relación militar asimétrica entre ambos países, y cualquier contacto directo allí tiene un peso que trasciende lo estrictamente operativo.
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