As relations between Washington and Havana deteriorate significantly, a senior U.S. official disclosed to Axios that classified intelligence shows Cuba has purchased more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack American bases on U.S. soil.
The official said this information—which could serve as grounds for U.S. military action—demonstrates how seriously the Trump administration views the Cuban threat. That’s due both to developments in drone warfare and the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana. “When we consider the presence of these types of technologies in such close proximity, alongside a range of dangerous actors from terrorist organizations and drug cartels to the Iranians and then the Russians—it’s concerning,” the official said.
Dangerous Cooperation
U.S. officials reported that Cuba has been working since 2023 to acquire attack drones with “diverse capabilities” from Russia and Iran, and has stored them at strategic locations across the island. Both Russia and China operate technologically advanced espionage facilities in Cuba to collect what’s known as signals intelligence (SIGINT).
U.S. officials estimate that up to 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought alongside Russia in its war in Ukraine, and that some have shared their experience with the island’s military leadership regarding the effectiveness of drone warfare. According to American estimates, Russia paid the Cuban government about $25,000 for each soldier deployed to Ukraine.
An Immediate Threat?
Despite this, U.S. officials don’t believe Cuba poses an immediate threat or is currently planning attacks against American interests. However, U.S. intelligence indicates that military figures on the island have discussed plans for drone warfare in the event hostilities resume, as relations with the United States continue to deteriorate.
According to Axios, Cuba doesn’t have the capability to close the Straits of Florida the way Iran paralyzed shipping in the Strait of Hormuz. Moreover, U.S. officials don’t believe Cuba poses a military threat on the scale it presented during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
The senior official said: “Nobody’s worried about fighter jets coming from Cuba. It’s not even clear if they have a plane that’s capable of flying.” However, he added: “It’s worth noting how close they are—166 kilometers by air. That’s not a number we’re comfortable with.”
Heating Up
The current report comes after CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Cuba last Thursday, where he directly warned officials against involvement in any hostile acts and called on them to abandon their totalitarian regime to bring an end to severe U.S. sanctions.
During his visit, the CIA director delivered a personal message from President Trump stating that the United States is ready for serious dialogue on economic and security issues—but only if Cuba makes fundamental changes. A CIA official told Fox that Ratcliffe and senior Cuban officials discussed intelligence cooperation, economic stability, and security issues, all under the clarification that Cuba can no longer serve as a safe haven for adversaries in the Western Hemisphere. The CIA director emphasized that the Trump administration is offering a real opportunity for cooperation and that their words should be taken seriously.