The Pentagon has spent months lining up the troops and weapons needed for the US to attack Cuba – all it needs is final approval from Donald Trump.
The president invaded the island after economic and political pressure failed to topple the Communist government. But the presence of the Navy in the region – the largest in the world outside the Middle East – would allow America to act immediately.
These strategically placed properties set the table for military action, due to the capture of Havana’s leadership such asthe arrest ofFormer Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, with a series of precision strikes. And they open the possibility that the United Statesit throws itself inthe third international crisis of the Trump administration.
Cuba is “in a lot of trouble,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday in a full Cabinet meeting. “Having a failed state 90 miles off our coast is a threat to the national security of the United States.”
The armada in the region is slightly smaller than it was in January when the US arrested Maduro. But the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier attack group entered the Caribbean in May, along with several destroyers and guided-missile carriers that can launch precision-guided munitions at coastal targets. A series of U.S. drones and surveillance planes have also circled Cuba for months, according to flight-tracking websites. The ship and escort carrier USS Kearsarge, which carries 2,500 Marines, are off the coast of Virginia preparing for redeployment, and may replace some of the homebound ships.
The increase provides a range of military options, although the Pentagon would need additional troops for a major ground invasion.
The Nimitz arrived in the area that same dayUnited States suedformer president Raul Castro, in what appeared to be a public show of strength. “The Nimitz is more likely to be a threat, although it can be used in a military operation if needed,” said Mark Cancian, a former Pentagon official and now a senior analyst at the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
The ship, along with warplanes based in Florida and Puerto Rico, would likely play a role in any military action in Cuba, he said. “Airstrikes are likely to take out their air defenses to allow extensive air operations or, perhaps, destroy their leadership with the idea of establishing relations like we have with Venezuela. Raul Castro would be their first target.”
But the administration faces a timetable for action. Most large warships deployed during the summer spend nearly 10 months at sea, far beyond the usual six to seven months. This has caused defense officials to worry about overstaffing, adding to the strain on the navy which is also conducting an interdiction of Iranian vessels in the Arabian Gulf.
The White House referred questions to the Pentagon. The navy declined to comment on the current deployment. Southern Naval Command did not respond to a request for comment.
“This long-term use will increase over time,” said a defense official, who spoke on condition of anonymity to speak openly about military operations. “Putting them out there for a long time creates more problems in the long run when it comes to fixing and repairing those ships once they get home.”
The long-term mission comes on the heels of a record-setting 11-month deployment by the USS Gerald R. Ford aircraft carrier, which ended this month after traveling from Europe to the Caribbean for the Maduro operation and then to the Middle East for the Iran war.
The Nimitz has also been extended for what was expected to be its final deployment of a 50-year career. It was originally scheduled to sail to Norfolk, Virginia, to remove its nuclear-powered engines, but the Navy has decided to extend its life until 2027.
The USS Iwo Jima and USS Fort Lauderdale have also been stranded since the summer, although the Marine Corps announced Wednesday that they will return to Norfolk next week.
But the long deployment is taking its toll on crews and Marines, who had planned for a regular rotation and are now months away from returning home.
“You’re not going to sign up for an easy time, you know any deployment is going to be uncertain,” said Joe Plenzler, a retired Marine Corps officer. “But to extend a deployment like this, when it seems open, that starts bleeding into storage. How much more likely am I to be able to convince my family to do another enlistment and stick with it?”
