Hegseth increases pressure on Cuba: They are prepared for anything

US-Cuba conflict

Hegseth increases pressure on Cuba: They are prepared for anything

Sanctions and an oil blockade are just two examples of Washington’s pressure on Havana. Now the Pentagon chief visits a US base in Cuba – and follows up verbally.

US Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth verbally increased the pressure on the socialist Caribbean island during a visit to the US base at Guantánamo Bay in Cuba. Whatever happens to Cuba’s future rests in the hands of US President Donald Trump and Cuba’s leadership, he said. “Come what may, the War Department will be prepared and prepared for every possible eventuality.” One of the reasons we were there today was to talk about it, Hegseth emphasized to soldiers, in front of whom he presented himself as one of them. He wore shorts and a T-shirt and then did fitness exercises with the soldiers.

Relations between Washington and Havana have long been tense – but tensions have increased significantly under US President Donald Trump. In order to force economic and political change in Cuba in the interests of the USA, his government increased the pressure on Havana with numerous measures – including a series of new sanctions and an oil blockade. During the pressure campaign, there were repeated concerns about a possible military escalation. At the same time, talks have been taking place between Washington and Havana for months.

The Guantánamo Bay military base is located on the southeastern coast of Cuba. The territory has been under US control since 1903 due to a controversial lease agreement. Since the victory of the Cuban Revolution under Fidel Castro in 1959, Cuba has considered the permanent treaty to be invalid. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the United States established a controversial prison camp at Guantánamo.

At the end of last month, an unusual direct meeting between senior generals from both countries outside the US base caused a stir: As both sides announced at the time, the head of the responsible US regional command (Southcom), General Francis Donovan, and the chief of the general staff of the Cuban Revolutionary Armed Forces, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, met there. There was no real concrete official information about the content of the exchange afterwards.