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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.
Trump has also launched military strikes on suspected drug boats, killing at least 157 people and is expanding counter-narcotics alliances with pro-Washington governments in Latin America, such as Ecuador where US and local forces carried out joint anti-narcotics operations earlier this month.
Donovan, who was the No 2 at Special Operations Command at the time of the Caracas raid, made a surprise visit to Venezuela for security talks last month shortly after taking over the Latin America post.
Trump prompted concern on Monday when he said he expected to take Cuba “in some form” and that “I can do anything I want” with the neighboring country, which sits about 90 miles (180 km) south of Florida’s Key West. But so far, US efforts appear aimed at creating economic leverage over the island.
Trump has piled tremendous economic pressure on Cuba by halting all Venezuelan oil shipments to the island, which has been forced to carry out severe energy rationing. Much of its economy has ground to a halt. On Monday, Cuba’s electric grid collapsed, leaving the country of 10 million people without power.
Asked whether the US was conducting any military rehearsals that involve seizing, occupying or otherwise asserting control over Cuba, Donovan said: “US Southern Command is not.”
He was then asked whether he knew of any US military command doing so, and Donovan responded: “No.”
Questions about US next steps come as Cuba and the US have opened talks aimed at improving their largely adverse relations, which have reached one of the most contentious moments in the 67 years since Fidel Castro overthrew what had been a close US ally.
In the hearing, Donovan noted that Guantanamo Bay had suffered storm damage and needed fresh investment, along with other Caribbean locations that US officials have long said suffered from under-investment over the past two decades, when the US military’s focus was on combating militant groups such as al-Qaida and Islamic State.
“I won’t pull any punches, it’s in rough shape,” Donovan said of Guantanamo Bay.
“Because of the hurricane damage, we’re down to one working pier and one refueling pier. I believe [the base] is a pivotal point for any operations in the Caribbean,” he added.
