The head of the U.S. Embassy mission in Cuba, Mike Hammer, met this Monday with General Francis L. Donovan, commander of the Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), in a meeting that the Embassy itself summarized with a brief but meaningful statement: “Much to discuss about Cuba”.
The meeting comes just two days after a coordinated pressure campaign on the Cuban regime led by Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the CIA, and SOUTHCOM itself, which openly urged Cubans to collaborate with U.S. intelligence to promote political change on the island.
General Donovan published a direct message to Cubans on Friday via the official account of the Southern Command: "The future of Cuba belongs to those who take action. Seize the moment and build the change you wish to see. No more broken promises, rampant corruption, or tolerating an elite class living in luxury while citizens are ignored. Now is the time."
That same weekend, the CIA published a seven-step operational guide in Spanish so that Cubans could contact the agency securely. Rubio had requested on Saturday that they do so "discreetly."
The meeting this Monday is not the first between Hammer and the high command of SOUTHCOM. Throughout 2026, the diplomat has met with South Command on multiple occasions: in January with then-chief Evan L. Pettus, in February he repeated the meeting, in March he met individually with Donovan, and in May he participated alongside Rubio and Donovan in the Conference of Chiefs of Mission at the SOUTHCOM headquarters in Doral, Florida.
This series of meetings reflects the strategic relevance of Cuba to Washington. In August 2026, the New York Times revealed the creation of a secret CIA task force dedicated exclusively to the island, elevated to the same category as China, Iran, and Russia. Additionally, a CBS News report from September indicated that the Army Reserve was assessing the availability of military police units, medical personnel, engineers, and logistical capabilities for Southern Command within a timeframe of 90 to 120 days. Although the internal document reviewed did not mention Cuba, U.S. officials linked the request to military planning concerning the island. The report did not confirm deployment orders or an authorized military operation.
The immediate context of this new meeting also includes the systematic harassment by the Cuban regime against Hammer. The diplomat has been the target of organized acts of repudiation by the Cuban State during his visits to activists and opponents across the island.
The most recent incident occurred on October 6, when Hammer visited activist Anna Bensi in Alamar, Havana, and a group of people shouted slogans against him in front of the building. The Embassy responded the following day with a warning that the regime should not ignore: “Like other diplomatic missions, we are taking note.”
Cubalex documented 86 repressive incidents linked to the Embassy or to Hammer between January and September 2026, three of which were acts of repudiation directed specifically against the diplomat.
The regime responded to the recent pressure campaign with its own warnings. Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla stated: "On our coasts, there are beautiful beaches, but also dog tooth," referring to those who arrive "with hostile intentions and a desire for domination." Deputy Foreign Minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío described the CIA's call as a sign of "desperation."
The meeting this Monday between Hammer and Donovan confirms that Cuba is at the center of Washington's strategic agenda, and that the Embassy's warning — "we are taking note" — was not an empty rhetoric, but the prelude to a coordination that continues to escalate.
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