Stories
US Military Prepares for Potential Action Around Cuba Amid Trump's Pressure
- •The US military is assessing the availability of troops and support units for its Southern Command within four months, as Washington intensifies planning related to Cuba.
- •Units under consideration include military police, medical teams, engineers, and logistics personnel, though no deployment orders have been issued.
- •An internal Army Reserve message requested commands to check the availability of six unit types for the US Southern Command within 90 to 120 days.
- •President Donald Trump stated he believes a military intervention won't be necessary, predicting a deal with Cuba and expressing a desire to "open Cuba up to our people."
- •Previous US military planning included reconnaissance operations and placing airpower units on higher readiness, with officials emphasizing these plans don't signify a decision to launch an operation.
Key Questions Answered
An internal Army message asks subordinate commands to evaluate the availability of six types of units, including a combat support battalion, an engineering battalion, an expeditionary sustainment command, a medical brigade, a forward surgical unit, and a military police brigade, to potentially support the US Southern Command within 90 to 120 days.
No, despite ongoing military planning and requests to check the availability of specific support units within the next four months, there is currently no indication that any units have been ordered to deploy or that Washington has decided to launch a military operation against Cuba.
President Donald Trump stated that he does not believe the US military will be needed, predicting that Washington and Havana will ultimately reach a deal while noting that the US wants to help Cuba and open it up.
