The United States Army Reserve is assessing whether it can provide the Southern Command military police units, medical personnel, engineers, and logistical capabilities within a timeframe of 90 to 120 days, amid planning that several U.S. officials have linked to Cuba.
The information was revealed this Friday by CBS News, which obtained access to an internal message from the Army and spoke with several U.S. officials on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.
The reviewed document by the chain does not mention Cuba. However, the consulted officials assured that the request is part of a continuation of military planning related to the island.
CBS News emphasized that there is no indication in the document that military units have received deployment orders. It also does not specify how many troops may be needed, where they would be sent, or which operation they would support.
The message, generated last week, requests subordinate leaders to report on the possible availability of six types of military formations that would fall under the authority of the U.S. Southern Command.
The documentation indicates that those capabilities may be needed within "90-120 days" and set September 25 as the deadline to respond to the Army Reserve headquarters.
Among the units consulted is a combat sustainment support battalion, specialized in coordinating transportation, maintenance, fuel, and supplies, in addition to an engineering battalion and an expeditionary command responsible for overseeing larger-scale logistics operations.
The document also includes a medical brigade, an advanced surgical and resuscitation unit capable of providing emergency surgery and trauma care near the deployed forces, and a military police brigade, whose duties typically include security, detention, and other law enforcement tasks within the military realm.
The Army Reserve did not respond to CBS News before the report was published.
When contacted by the chain, a spokesperson for U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) refrained from commenting on potential movements or deployment timelines, citing operational security reasons.
The spokesperson noted that South Command “continuously coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a variety of possible requirements” within its area of responsibility and in support of the missions assigned to it.
CBS News also reported that, earlier this year, U.S. forces conducted reconnaissance operations of the seafloor and maritime access around Cuba, according to several members of the Armed Forces interviewed by the network.
Separately, components of the U.S. air power were then placed on a higher level of readiness and received instructions to preposition personnel in view of a possible deployment. Those plans, however, were not executed, according to the report.
The network indicated that it decided to withhold some details of the planning, considering that their release could jeopardize U.S. military personnel.
The information available thus far indicates planning and capability assessment activities, but it does not confirm that President Donald Trump or the Pentagon have authorized a military operation in Cuba or that there is currently a deployment order in place.
Moreover, the report comes after several weeks of increased U.S. military activity in the Caribbean and a hardening of rhetoric between Washington and Havana, although none of these factors alone demonstrates that the United States has decided to carry out an operation against Cuba.
At the beginning of the month, the littoral combat ships USS Billings (LCS-15) and USS Minneapolis-Saint Paul (LCS-21) arrived at the Guantanamo Naval Base.
The Navy indicated that the USS Billings was on a scheduled deployment in the Caribbean, while the Minneapolis-Saint Paul had departed from Mayport, Florida, on August 27 and was subsequently set to participate in the UNITAS 2026 naval exercise off the coast of Peru.
A week later, on September 8, Southern Command released images of members of the 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit training at Camp Santiago, Puerto Rico.
SOUTHCOM described the practices as part of the necessary preparation to respond in the Western Hemisphere.
The unit, composed of over 1,300 marines and sailors, had assumed its mission in the Caribbean on May 29.
During the previous months, more than 8,100 military personnel participated in exercises in Puerto Rico, according to figures released by the authorities of that territory.
From Havana, Miguel Díaz-Canel stated on September 11 that «the threat of aggression remains» and reiterated that preparation for defense continued to be a priority.
His statements were made during a visit to the Alamar Este defense area, as part of the military activities conducted by Cuba in 2026.
Another background was revealed in the middle of the month when official photographs of an experiment by the Air Force Department showed Cuba and the Caribbean on the screens of several workstations used during tests of command and control systems with artificial intelligence.
The official information about that experiment, called DASH, did not identify Cuba as a military target nor claim that an attack against the island was being simulated.
The images only confirm that Cuba and the Caribbean were part of the geographical environment shown in various stations during the tests.
Political tension increased once again on Tuesday, when Donald Trump declared before the United Nations General Assembly that his administration seeks a «fundamental change» in Cuba, labeled the country as an «absolutely failed state», and asserted that the Cuban government «will fall».
He also stated that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was engaged in discussions with Havana and assured that the United States would not allow foreign adversaries to establish a threatening presence near its territory.
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