The United States Secretary of Defense, Pete Hegseth, launched a direct warning to the Cuban government from Guantanamo Naval Base: if Cuba tries to acquire weapons capable of reaching the U.S. border or the naval base itself, “it will find out very quickly” the consequences.
Hegseth uttered the words while physically pointing towards Cuban territory from the perimeter fence of the facility, during a military operations oversight visit in the region.
As an example of what it means to "find out" those consequences, the secretary cited the Venezuelan dictator Nicolás Maduro, whom he described as someone who has already "learned" by "playing games" with the U.S. government.
The reference to Maduro alludes to the events of September 2025, when Washington deployed the USS Iwo Jima in the Caribbean to lead pressure operations against Venezuela, with Hegseth aboard the ship.
During his visit to Guantánamo, Hegseth also conveyed to the troops that "the future of Cuba" depends on the President of the United States and Cuban leadership, and that the Department of Defense would be "prepared and positioned" for any contingency.
The statements come weeks after an exclusive report from Axios revealed that U.S. intelligence had detected the acquisition by Cuba of more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023.
According to that report, Cuban officials allegedly discussed the possible use of those drones against the Naval Base in Guantanamo itself, U.S. military ships in the Caribbean, and even Key West, Florida.
Washington officials clarified, however, that they do not consider Cuba an imminent threat nor do they believe it is actively planning an attack.
From Havana, the official Carlos Fernández de Cossío did not directly deny the purchase of drones, but rather emphasized that "Cuba has the right to defend itself".
Hegseth's visit to Guantánamo is part of a broader strategy to pressure the Cuban regime: in January of this year, Trump signed a decree to impose tariffs on countries that sell oil to Cuba, and Southern Command had been working on contingency plans ranging from airstrikes to a possible ground invasion, although no final decision has been made.
The U.S. also deployed two amphibious assault ships north of Cuba in the context of this year's tensions, and the head of Southern Command met with Hegseth on May 21 amid the escalation.
The Guantanamo Naval Base has been a U.S. enclave on Cuban territory since 1903 and has been a constant source of bilateral tension, with the Missile Crisis of 1962 being the most serious precedent of confrontation over weaponry on the island.
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