The commander of the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) met with senior Cuban military officials Friday as tensions between Washington and Havana continue to escalate.
In a post on X, SOUTHCOM said Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan met with Cuban Army Corps Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, Cuba’s first deputy minister of the chief of the general staff, along with other senior Cuban military leaders on the perimeter of the Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, a U.S. installation located on Cuba’s southeastern tip, “for a brief exchange on operational security matters.”
#SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan met with Army Corps General, Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, First Deputy Minister of the Chief of the General Staff, and other senior leaders from the Cuban military today at the perimeter of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, for a… pic.twitter.com/V4Fau3HxSo
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 29, 2026
SOUTHCOM said Donovan also “led a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed force protection, safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials.”
#SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis L. Donovan personally inspected all aspects of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay’s security posture, leading a comprehensive perimeter security assessment and discussing force protection, operational readiness, and measures to ensure the safety and… pic.twitter.com/8NahSyZs3W
— U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 29, 2026
In a statement, Cuba’s Ministry of Defense said both delegations described the meeting as “positive,” noting that they addressed security issues around the dividing perimeter of the military enclave and agreed to maintain communication between their respective military commands.
CNN described the recent meeting between the two sides as rare. It notes that while the U.S. and Cuba have historically maintained limited “fence-line” coordination at Guantanamo Bay, such interactions were reportedly suspended after the start of President Donald Trump’s second term.
The recent meeting marks the second reported high-level contact between U.S. and Cuban officials in recent weeks, following a reported visit by CIA Director John Ratcliffe to Havana earlier this month. The meeting also comes amid the recent deployment of the USS Nimitz carrier strike group in the Caribbean.
USS Nimitz arrived in the Caribbean amid speculation about potential military operations against Cuba. The carrier has not embarked a full nine squadron air wing and, with only one destroyer escort, isn’t the combat-capable force we’d expect if major ops were imminent. 12-15… pic.twitter.com/Pg6JlBi9HA
— Ian Ellis (@ianellisjones) May 28, 2026
The tensions between Cuba and the U.S. escalated in January after the U.S. administration restricted oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader pressure campaign aimed at encouraging political change in the communist-led government.
A recent Axios report, citing classified U.S. intelligence, says Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and has reportedly discussed their potential use against U.S. targets, including the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, American military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida
Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez denied the allegations and accused the U.S. of fabricating a “fraudulent case” to justify economic sanctions and potential military intervention against Cuba.
Last week, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel warned that a potential U.S. military attack “will cause a bloodbath with incalculable consequences.”
