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U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth traveled to the American military base at Guantanamo Bay on Wednesday, warning Cuba's communist government against obtaining weapons capable of threatening United States territory, as Washington continues to tighten its grip on the island nation through sanctions and an oil blockade.
Speaking to troops during a physical fitness session, Hegseth said it would be "unwise" for Havana to seek weapons capable of reaching the base or the American mainland, adding that Cuba would be "inviting the kind of confrontation not only do they not want, but they could not stand."
He also left the island's political future in the balance, saying what happens to Cuba rests in the hands of "the president of the United States and the leadership of Cuba."
The visit comes amid heightened U.S. scrutiny of Cuban military activity. News outlet Axios reported last month that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and had begun discussions about using them to target the Guantanamo base, U.S. naval vessels, and possibly the state of Florida.
American officials told Axios that Cuba had been obtaining attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and was seeking additional supplies. Havana rejected the report, with Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez accusing Washington of fabricating a pretext for its next war.
Hegseth's trip marks his second visit to the base since taking over at the Pentagon, and is the latest in a series of high-level U.S. visits to the facility. Late last month, Army General Francis Donovan, the top U.S. commander for Latin America, traveled to Guantanamo and met with Cuban military leaders in what U.S. Southern Command described as "a brief exchange on operational security matters." The general also led a perimeter security assessment and discussed force protection, troop safety, and operational readiness with base officials.
Two weeks prior, CIA Director John Ratcliffe made his own trip to Havana, where he met with Cuban officials. The flurry of visits reflects growing U.S. attention to Guantanamo's strategic position, situated some 430 miles southeast of Miami on Cuba's southeastern coast.
After departing Guantanamo, Hegseth traveled to Tampa, Florida, for a visit to the headquarters of U.S. Central Command, which oversees American military operations across the Middle East, including those targeting Iran. Addressing troops there, he delivered a pointed message: "As the president said today, if they're not going to make a deal, then we're going to hit them hard."
The remarks aligned with President Donald Trump's recent posture toward Tehran, as the administration has maintained pressure on Iran over its nuclear program while leaving the door open to negotiations.
The base carries considerable symbolic and legal baggage. Its detention facility, established after the September 11, 2001 attacks, has long been a flashpoint for human rights advocates, who have condemned the indefinite detention of prisoners held in connection with the wars and counterterrorism operations that followed.
United Nations experts have called the site one of "unparalleled notoriety." More recently, the Trump administration has sought to repurpose the facility as a holding center for migrants facing deportation from the United States, further expanding the base's controversial role in American policy.
Trump has also repeatedly signaled that Cuba's government, like Venezuela's in January, could be the next to fall under the weight of U.S. pressure, underscoring the broader regional context framing Hegseth's visit.
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