US military intelligence flights near Cuba have risen in recent months, with at least 25 missions conducted by the US Navy and Air Force since February 4. These flights, mostly near Havana and Santiago de Cuba, involved aircraft like the P-8A Poseidon for surveillance and reconnaissance. Some flights also utilized drones specialized in signals intelligence gathering and high-altitude reconnaissance. The sudden increase in activity near Cuban shores is considered unusual, as such public operations were infrequent in this region before February.
The surge in flights near Cuba is a departure from historical deployment patterns of these aircraft, according to CNN. The uptick in activity coincided with heightened rhetoric against Cuba by former US President Donald Trump. Trump’s reposting of a comment about a “free Havana” visit and subsequent oil blockade of Cuba preceded the increased military flights. Recently, the US imposed new sanctions on Cuban economic entities, citing threats to US national security and foreign policy.
Similar patterns of increased surveillance flights have been observed before US military actions in Venezuela and Iran. The Pentagon has refrained from commenting on these findings and has reportedly contacted the Cuban government for further information.
