U.S. Positions Ships and Troops in Caribbean Near Cuba

The United States has positioned an aircraft carrier strike group, guided-missile destroyers, and additional aircraft and troops in the Caribbean over the past several months, according to reporting by Politico. U.S. Southern Command declined to comment on specific ship movements or operational details.

Administration officials told Axios that military planners have examined scenarios involving Cuba but that no invasion is currently planned. ” The same officials described an approach of maintaining existing sanctions and restricting oil shipments to Cuba, with one saying the goal is to apply pressure in stages rather than to remove the current government immediately.

U.S. forces have conducted strikes on vessels suspected of drug trafficking in the region. The capture of Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro in January ended a major source of support for Cuba. Last week, the United States indicted former Cuban president Raúl Castro on the same day the USS Nimitz arrived in the Caribbean.

CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials earlier this month to convey that the United States would discuss economic and security issues only if Cuba makes changes, an agency official told the Associated Press.