Cuba denounces the presence of the U.S. Navy in the Southern Caribbean

Under the pretext of combating drug trafficking, the U.S. has deployed more than 4,500 military personnel in waters near Latin America and the Caribbean, even though 90 percent of the drugs that leave South America for the U.S. travel via the Pacific Ocean.

Cuba raised its voice in protest against the significant presence of U.S. naval and air forces in the southern Caribbean, describing these activities as a deployment under false pretexts and from and from the corrupt agenda of U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla reiterated on social media that Latin America and the Caribbean must be respected as a Zone of Peace and rejected any action that compromises the sovereignty of the countries in the region.

Cuban diplomacy stressed that this military presence represents a threat to the security and peace of Latin America and the Caribbean, a denunciation that adds to a previous Cuban criticism, issued on March 19, 2025, against the deployment of the destroyer USS Gravely in the Gulf of Mexico, also under the alleged pretext of combating illegal drug trafficking.

On that occasion, Foreign Minister Rodríguez Parrilla warned that this military presence endangered the stability of the subcontinent.

According to reports from the U.S. Navy, the U.S. deployment includes more than 4,000 additional Marines and sailors in the waters surrounding Latin America and the Caribbean, supposedly to combat drug cartels, although it is known that 90 percent of drugs leave for the U.S. via the Pacific Ocean.

Part of this operation is the deployment of the Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) Iwo Jima and the 22nd marine infantry. In addition, a nuclear-powered attack submarine, P8 Poseidon reconnaissance aircraft, several destroyers, and a guided-missile cruiser have been assigned to the mission.

Since Donald Trump’s administration, there has been a tendency to intensify militarization in the region rather than address the causes of growing drug consumption within the U.S., the world’s largest market.

However, the justification for the fight against drug trafficking is “part of a broader political agenda that undermines peace and sovereignty in the region,” as the Cuban foreign minister pointed out.

Source: Cuba en Resumen / Resumen Latinoamericano – English