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Marines of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24th MEU) conducted a long-range fast rope insertion drill on June 4 at the Naval Base Guantanamo, Cuba.
The U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) reported on Thursday about the exercise through its official account. The drill was conducted from a UH-1Y Venom helicopter from the Marine Medium Tiltrotor Squadron (VMM) 365 (Reinforced), with the unit organized as Littoral Combat Force-24 (LCF-24).
The technique used, known as fast rope or the FRIES system, allows assault forces to descend in seconds from a hovering helicopter without the need to land, minimizing the aircraft's exposure time.
SOUTHCOM framed the exercise within the Southern Spear Operation, a campaign led by the Department of Defense with declared objectives to disrupt illicit drug trafficking, deter hostile actors, and protect the continental United States through a continuous presence in the area of responsibility.
Maximum tension between Washington and Havana
On May 17, an intelligence report released by Axios revealed that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, with scenarios discussed for their use against the Guantánamo base itself, U.S. military vessels, and possibly Key West.
In response, Washington deployed the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz to the Caribbean on May 20 and activated Operation Southern Spear. On May 29, more than 1,300 Marines and sailors from the 24th MEU took on a mission in the Caribbean under the command of Colonel Ryan Lynch.
On that same day, the head of Southern Command, General Francis L. Donovan, visited Guantánamo and met with the Cuban General Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister and Chief of Staff of the FAR, in a meeting that the regime described as "positive."
War Secretary visits Guantánamo
This Wednesday, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth visited the base in Guantánamo and issued the most direct warnings to date to the Cuban regime.
He stated that "it would be unwise for the Cuban government to try to acquire or gain access to types of weaponry capable of reaching this base or the continental territory of the United States," and that by doing so "they would be inviting a confrontation that they not only do not desire, but also could not withstand."
Hegseth also proclaimed the so-called "Donroe Doctrine" in Guantanamo and declared, "We are reclaiming our hemisphere."
For his part, Miguel Díaz-Canel warned this past Sunday that any U.S. military action against Cuba could lead to a "bloodbath."
Hegseth summarized Washington's stance regarding the troops deployed at the base: "What happens with the future of Cuba is in the hands of the President of the United States and the leadership of Cuba."
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