Classified intelligence reports reveal that Cuba has acquired hundreds of military drones and recently discussed plans to launch potential attacks against the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay, American military vessels, and potentially Key West, Florida.
Despite the details of the intelligence leak, local law enforcement authorities in the Florida Keys say they have received no official warnings and are maintaining normal daily operations.
Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay stated Sunday that he has not been contacted by any federal or state agencies regarding the reported Cuban military threats. The Sheriff’s Office noted it cannot confirm the news reports, is unable to substantiate where the information originated, and has not directed patrol or detention deputies to alter their routines.
“I am monitoring the situation, but I have not been contacted by any government agency and I don’t believe there is any reason to be concerned,” Sheriff Ramsay said. “I am confident I will be notified if anything does change and I will alert the public.”
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According to classified intelligence shared with Axios, Cuba has amassed more than 300 attack drones of varying capabilities from Russia and Iran since 2023, stashing them at strategic locations across the island. Within the past month, intelligence intercepts indicated that Cuban officials sought additional military equipment from Moscow and discussed targeting Key West, located just 90 miles north of Havana.
A senior U.S. official stated that the Trump administration views the development as a significant threat, particularly given the presence of Iranian military advisers in Havana. The intelligence could potentially serve as a pretext for U.S. military action.
“When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it’s concerning,” the senior U.S. official said. “It’s a growing threat.”
The geopolitical friction led CIA Director John Ratcliffe to travel to Cuba on Thursday, where he directly warned Cuban officials against engaging in hostilities. A CIA official told Axios that Ratcliffe also urged the Cuban government to scrap its totalitarian system to bring an end to crippling U.S. economic sanctions.
“Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere,” the CIA official said. “The Western Hemisphere cannot be our adversaries’ playground.”
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Washington is expected to ramp up pressure on Havana this week. On Wednesday, the Department of Justice plans to unseal an indictment against Cuba’s de facto leader, Raúl Castro, for allegedly ordering the 1996 downing of two planes flown by the Miami-based humanitarian aid group Brothers to the Rescue. Additional U.S. sanctions targeting the island nation could also be announced in the coming days.
During a congressional hearing on Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth confirmed Castro’s complicity in the 1996 shootdown while responding to questions from Representative Mario Diaz-Balart, a Republican from Miami. Hegseth also addressed concerns regarding high-tech Russian and Chinese signals intelligence facilities operating on the island.
“We’ve long been concerned that a foreign adversary using that kind of location that close to our shores is highly problematic,” Hegseth told the lawmaker.
Cuba’s embassy did not initially respond to inquiries from Axios, but later issued a written statement on X. The statement did not deny that the country possesses military attack drones, choosing instead to defend its right to self-defense under international law.
“Like any country, Cuba has the right to defend itself against external aggression. It is called self-defense, and it is protected by International Law and the UN Charter,” the Cuban embassy stated. “Those from the US who seek the submission and, in fact, the destruction of the Cuban nation through military aggression and war, do not waste a single moment fabricating pretexts, creating and spreading falsehoods, and distorting as extraordinary the logical preparation required to face a potential aggression.”
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U.S. officials estimate that Cuba’s focus on unmanned aerial tactics has been sharpened by the war in Ukraine, where as many as 5,000 Cuban soldiers have fought for Russia.
Axios reported that Moscow has paid the Cuban government roughly $25,000 for each soldier deployed, and returning personnel have reportedly informed the island’s military leadership about the battlefield effectiveness of drone warfare. Intelligence intercepts also suggest Cuban officials are studying how Iran has resisted U.S. pressure.
American concerns regarding drone capabilities have been further heightened by Iran’s recent use of unmanned aircraft to damage U.S. bases in the Middle East and disrupt shipping in the Strait of Hormuz following conflicts that escalated on February 28.
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