The U.S. 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 told lawmakers on Thursday (March 19, 2026).
But the U.S. stands ready to address any threats to the U.S. Embassy, defend its base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, and aid U.S. government efforts to address any mass migration from the island, if needed, General Francis Donovan, head of U.S. Southern Command, said.
Mr. Donovan’s remarks came during a Senate hearing focused on President Donald Trump’s increasingly muscular use of the U.S. military in Latin America, where his administration has re-asserted the idea that the region falls into Washington’s zone of influence.
Mr.Trump has launched military strikes on suspected drug boats and is expanding counter-narcotics alliances with pro-Washington governments in Latin America, even carrying out joint operations with Ecuador on the ground there earlier this month.
In January, U.S. special forces seized Venezuela’s then-President Nicolas Maduro in a raid on his Caracas compound and whisked him to New York to face drug-trafficking charges.
