From the Guantánamo Naval Base, the United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, addressed Navy and Marine troops this Wednesday with a message of direct deterrence aimed at Cuba and the world.
" We also want the world to understand that American power, whether it is 9,000 miles or 90 miles from our shores, is the greatest in the world and is prepared to go on the offensive or defensive at any moment to defend our interests," declared Hegseth before the troops assembled at the base.
The official was also explicit about the future of the island: "What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the President of the United States and the leadership of Cuba. Whatever happens, the Department of War will be prepared and positioned for any possible contingency."
Hegseth emphasized the strategic value of the facility with a personal reference: "It is an honor to be here in Guantanamo Bay. I was here 20 years ago, serving as a soldier on the detention mission. This was then and it is today: a very important and strategic American territory."
After addressing the troops, the secretary participated in the morning physical training alongside the military personnel deployed at the base, in a day that included meetings with staff from the Joint Task Force-South Guard, the 6th Marine Regiment, the Navy Mobile Construction Battalion, and other units.
The visit was officially announced on Tuesday by the Department of War and comes at a time of sustained escalating tensions between Washington and Havana.
The trigger for this escalation was an intelligence report published on May 17 that indicated that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones with support from Russia and Iran since 2023, with plans discussed to use them against the Guantanamo base itself, Navy vessels, and possibly Key West.
In response, the U.S. deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the Caribbean on May 20 and on May 29 launched the Southern Spear Operation with over 1,300 Marines in the region.
On that same May 29, the head of Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, met in Guantánamo with the Cuban general Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister and Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, in a meeting that the regime described as "positive."
Last Saturday, Díaz-Canel stated that Washington is considering three scenarios for Cuba —social unrest, coercive dialogue, or direct military aggression— and warned that any military action could lead to a "bloodbath".
After his visit to Guantánamo, Hegseth was scheduled to travel to Tampa, Florida, to meet with personnel from Central Command (CENTCOM), according to the official itinerary from the Department of Defense.
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