Pentagon military planners have evaluated various scenarios in recent weeks for a potential operation against Cuba, including an air assault led by the 101st Airborne Division, the only unit of the U.S. Army specialized in such missions, according to a report on Wednesday by CBS News, citing several U.S. officials who spoke on condition of anonymity.
According to the report, at the end of June, the Army held a planning session to study operational concepts and possible courses of action that could be executed on the island. However, the consulted sources clarified that these exercises are part of regular military planning and do not indicate that President Donald Trump or the Department of Defense has decided to launch an operation.
When asked by the network, the acting spokesperson for the Pentagon, Joel Valdez, refrained from commenting on the content of those discussions.
"We do not comment on hypothetical military operations," he stated.
Although the plans were analyzed, U.S. officials acknowledged that military action against Cuba is unlikely in the short term, as much of the United States' offensive capabilities remain focused on the Middle East, where operations against Iran resumed following the collapse of the ceasefire.
Washington maintains pressure on Havana
While the military option remains in the realm of planning, the Trump administration continues to increase political, economic, and diplomatic pressure on the Cuban regime.
The Secretary of State, Marco Rubio, has reiterated that Washington's priority remains a peaceful transition to a government led by technocrats willing to implement economic and political reforms.
However, in a statement issued on July 11, on the occasion of the fifth anniversary of the 11J protests, Rubio stated that the Cuban leadership and its "corrupt elites" continue to reject any change, maintaining a system based on a "morally corrupt Marxist ideology." The head of U.S. diplomacy warned that the rulers of the island still have time to choose "real reforms, peace, and prosperity, before it is too late."
At the same time, Washington has intensified sanctions against state and military entities that, according to the U.S. government, fund internal repression and financially support the regime.
Among the main objectives is the military conglomerate GAESA, which the United States attributes with controlling a significant portion of the Cuban economy. The Trump administration maintains that tightening sanctions has limited the regime's financial capacity and significantly reduced its fuel imports, aggravating the energy crisis the island is experiencing.
Warnings from the Department of War
The Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, issued a public warning during his visit to the Guantanamo Naval Base on June 10.
"It would be reckless for the Cuban government to attempt to acquire or access weapons that could reach this base or U.S. territory. They would be provoking a confrontation that they not only do not desire, but also could not tolerate," he stated.
The statements came after CBS News reported that Cuba may have acquired attack drones of unspecified origin, although U.S. authorities have not disclosed details about those systems.
Discreet contacts and increasing judicial pressure
In May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made an unusual visit to Havana to meet with Cuban officials. According to the report, he conveyed that the United States would be willing to expand bilateral cooperation if the regime initiated "fundamental changes."
The visit included a gesture that several sources interpreted as a warning: Ratcliffe was accompanied by one of the agents involved in the capture of Nicolás Maduro in January, whom he introduced to the Cuban authorities.
A few days later, the Department of Justice filed criminal charges against Raúl Castro and five others for the downing of the Brothers to the Rescue planes in 1996. This decision fueled speculation about a possible operation similar to that executed against Maduro, although sources consulted by CBS News indicated that Washington's preferred option remains a negotiated solution leading to the voluntary departure of the Castro family from power.
Cuba, a strategic ally of the adversaries of the U.S.
Despite the tightening of policies towards Havana, the Annual Threat Assessment of the U.S. intelligence community for 2026 does not identify Cuba as a direct military threat to the United States.
The report, however, considers that the island represents a platform of increasing strategic interest for Washington's rivals such as China, Russia, and Iran, due to the political, economic, and intelligence cooperation it maintains with those governments.
In this context, Hegseth left open the possibility of a change in the scenario if a political transformation occurs on the island.
"We hope to soon be friends with the leadership of the Cuban government," he stated.
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