Cuba's 300-Drone Buildup Backed by Russia, Iran Alarms US
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- Cuba has obtained over 300 drones with varied capabilities since 2023, distributed them at key locations across the island, and is seeking more systems from Russia in recent weeks, according to Axios reporting on US classified intelligence.
- CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Havana to warn Cuban officials against hostile actions, as the US weighs additional sanctions and legal measures against Cuba's leadership.
- Four Chinese and Russian intelligence sites in Cuba — Bejucal, Wajay, Calabazar and El Salao — contain equipment capable of intercepting communications, monitoring satellites and tracking military activity, per a December 2024 CSIS report.
- Iran has struck 228 structures or pieces of equipment at US bases in the Middle East since Operation Epic Fury began in April 2026, destroying a critical E-3 Sentry command-and-control aircraft at Prince Sultan Air Base in Saudi Arabia.
- The US deployed 20% of its operational warships to the Caribbean during Operation Southern Spear in November 2025, leaving the Mediterranean and Middle East without a US carrier.
- MP-IDSA analyst Saurabh Mishra argued US pressure on Cuba is ultimately driven by an energy strategy, citing Cuba's ties to China and Russia and its untapped offshore oil potential as the real targets.
- Cuba acknowledged possessing attack drones, citing its right to self-defense under international law and accusing the US of fabricating pretexts for aggression.
Why it matters: The US faces a choice between calibrated pressure and direct action — and the military cost of even a pressure campaign is steep: Stars and Stripes reported 20% of operational warships diverted to the Caribbean left the Mediterranean and Middle East without a US carrier, while Saurabh Mishra's MP-IDSA analysis frames the real endgame as securing Cuba's offshore oil and rolling back Chinese and Russian influence rather than countering a conventional military threat.
