Amid escalating tensions between the United States and Cuba, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth made an unannounced visit on June 10 to the U.S. naval base at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, where he declared that the Pentagon is prepared to respond to "any potential contingency."
In a post on social media, the Department of Defense quoted Hegseth as saying that the purpose of his trip was to ensure the base has everything it needs to carry out its mission. During a meeting with U.S. service members, Hegseth also asserted: "The future of Cuba lies in the hands of the U.S. president and Cuba's leadership." In a video released by the Pentagon, Hegseth said it would be "extremely unwise" for Cuba to attempt to acquire weapons capable of striking the Guantánamo base or the U.S. mainland, warning that such a move could trigger a confrontation that Cuba "would neither want nor be able to sustain."
Multiple senior U.S. government and military officials have recently made frequent visits to Cuba. On May 29, U.S. Southern Command chief General Francis Donovan met with senior Cuban military officers near the Guantánamo naval base. CIA Director John Ratcliffe also visited Havana, Cuba's capital, on May 14 for talks with officials from Cuba's Ministry of the Interior.
The United States has long maintained economic, financial, and trade embargoes against Cuba. Following military actions this year against Venezuela and Iran, U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened that "Cuba is next" and has directed his administration to intensify pressure on Cuba, including an oil blockade. U.S. media reported earlier that the U.S. military has completed its military deployment in the Caribbean region aimed at Cuba. Talks between the two countries continue, but no substantive progress has been made.
The United States forcibly leased part of the strategically located Guantánamo Bay in southeastern Cuba in 1903 to establish a military base. After the Cuban Revolution triumphed in 1959, the Cuban government has consistently opposed the existence of the U.S. base at Guantánamo, refused U.S. rent payments, and demanded a U.S. withdrawal. In 2002, the U.S. military established a prison at the Guantánamo base, which became notorious for detainee abuse.
(Source: Wen Wei Po)
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