US Southern Command chief tells senators amid Trump’s increasing use of force in the region and comments about taking Cuba
The US military is not rehearsing for an invasion of Cuba or actively preparing to militarily take over the island, the top general overseeing American forces in Latin America has told lawmakers.
But Gen Francis Donovan, head of US Southern Command, said the Pentagon stands ready to address any threats to the US embassy in Havana, defend its base at Guantanamo Bay, and aid US government efforts to address any mass migration from the island, if needed.
Donovan’s remarks came during a Senate hearing focused on Donald Trump’s increasing use of the US military in Latin America, where his administration has re-asserted the idea that the region falls into Washington’s zone of influence.
US special forces seized Venezuela’s president Nicolás Maduro in a raid on his Caracas compound in January and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
