The real lesson of Cuba's alleged drone build-up against the US
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- Cuba has obtained roughly 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023, per an Axios report citing classified intelligence and anonymous U.S. officials.
- Cuba has considered using those drones to strike Guantanamo Bay and possibly Key West, Florida.
- Rep. Carlos Giménez and two fellow Miami Cuban Republicans, Rep. Mario Diaz Balart and Rep. Maria Elvira Salazar, each tweeted that Cuba poses a national security threat to the United States.
- Axios reports that Cuba’s drone plans are intended only as a contingency “in case hostilities erupt.”
- Cuba’s economy, strained by the Trump administration’s oil blockade, raises doubts about its ability to fund a large drone procurement.
Why it matters: The U.S. must now weigh a 300‑drone threat to Guantanamo Bay and Key West, prompting heightened security alerts and potentially curbing any planned regime‑change operation, while Cuba’s strained budget makes the buildup uncertain.
