The United States Secretary of War, Pete Hegseth, issued a new direct warning to the Cuban regime from Panama: they should pay attention to how President Donald Trump is willing to defend Washington's strategic interests, and he also made it clear that, regarding Cuba, the United States has numerous possibilities open.
The statements took place during an exchange with journalists at the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama, after Hegseth was directly questioned about the possibility of military action against Cuba.
"As I mentioned before, and I believe you have seen what has happened in other cases, all options are on the table, including military options," the secretary responded.
Hegseth was even more direct when referring to the Cuban regime's capability in the face of U.S. military power.
"I believe that Cuba would do well to pay attention to President Trump's willingness to assert the strategic prerogatives of the United States. Certainly, they are no match for the United States of America," he stated.
The phrase again places the final decision regarding any steps towards Cuba in Trump's hands and reinforces the deterrent message that Hegseth has been repeating over the past few months.
The secretary also linked the message directed at Cuba to the United States' strategy to regain influence in the Western Hemisphere and reduce the space of rival governments and powers.
"If you observe what foreign influence has been able to do in our hemisphere, it has been very little: the Russians, the Cubans, the Iranians, and Venezuela," he declared.
Hegseth highlighted in contrast the various countries in the region's approach to Washington and mentioned the Americas Counter-Cartel Coalition, identified by the acronym A3C and also known as the Shield of the Americas.
The A3C is a cooperation bloc focused on security and military exchange, driven by the United States and made up of about twenty countries from the hemisphere, with an emphasis on combating cartels, drug trafficking, and other transnational threats.
"The way countries have approached the United States, the A3C, and this alliance shows that they understand where the balance of power lies, especially in this hemisphere," Hegseth stated.
And right away, he placed Havana back within that warning: "That, without a doubt, also applies to Cuba."
The conclusion of his response once again left open the uncertainty regarding the steps that Washington may take: "We will have many options there and we look forward to what comes next."
The statements also had a distinct military backdrop. During his visit to Panama, Hegseth visited American and allied troops training at the Jungle Operations Training Center.
"Out with our warriors at the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama. No environment is too hostile, no terrain too difficult," he wrote on his official profile, where he expressed feeling "incredibly proud" of the joint and allied forces.
Washington and Panama had previously agreed to reactivate joint jungle operations training and to expand their military cooperation, including preparations related to the security of the Panama Canal.
The current message to Havana follows a line that Hegseth clearly established during his visit to the Naval Base in Guantanamo in June.
There, he stated that the future of Cuba was in the hands of the President of the United States and of Cuban leadership, and he assured that the Department of War would remain prepared for any contingency.
From Guantánamo, he also warned the regime that a confrontation with the United States would be a situation they "could not endure," while emphasizing that Washington was prepared to defend its interests in the region.
Hegseth then referred to the U.S. operation that culminated in the capture of Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela as a precedent.
He recalled that the Russian defenses and the Cuban guards protecting Maduro "were no match" for U.S. forces, a comparison that now echoes in his assertion that Cuba also does not pose a military threat to the United States.
Filed under: