US Commander Meets With Cuban Military Leaders During Guantanamo Bay Visit

The top officer in charge of U.S. military operations across Latin America met with senior Cuban military leaders in Cuba on May 29, marking a rare meeting at a moment of rising U.S. pressure on the communist-led state.

On Friday, the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) announced its commander, Marine Corps Gen. Francis L. Donovan, met with several Cuban military leaders—including Cuban Army Corps Gen. Roberto Legrá Sotolongo—along the perimeter of Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. SOUTHCOM described the meeting as “a brief exchange on operational security matters,” without sharing further details about the substance of their discussions.

“Gen. Donovan also led a perimeter security assessment of the naval base and discussed force protection, safety of service members and their families, and operational readiness with base officials,” SOUTHCOM said.

U.S. forces have maintained the base at Guantanamo Bay since 1903. It’s the oldest overseas U.S. military base, and the only one located in a communist-controlled country.

President Donald Trump has been steadily raising pressure on Havana since the start of 2026.

On Jan. 3, Trump ordered U.S. forces to capture then-Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro and his wife, Cilia Flores, to face criminal prosecution in the United States on drug trafficking and terrorism related charges—offenses Maduro and his wife deny. Maduro had partnered with communist-led Cuba, and his ouster has set the stage for Havana’s growing isolation.

Weeks after Maduro’s capture, Trump signed an executive order authorizing tariffs against countries attempting to transfer oil to Cuba.

More recently, the U.S. government has imposed multiple rounds of economic sanctions on Cuban officials and entities.

On May 20, the U.S. Department of Justice also obtained criminal indictments against former Cuban leader Raúl Castro and other officials for the 1996 shootdown of a pair of planes operated by a Cuban exile group.

Trump has hinted at military action and intervention in Cuba.

In a video message, U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the United States is ready to “open a new chapter in the relationship between our people and our countries.” He then said, “The only thing standing in the way of a better future are those who control your country.”

The U.S. military has also maintained a heightened force presence in the Caribbean in recent months. On Friday, the Marine Corps announced it had cycled an element of 1,300 U.S. Marines and sailors into the Caribbean to join the force buildup that also includes the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz.

Donovan’s visit to Cuba came about a week after he oversaw a set of U.S. military exercises in Venezuela. The exercise saw Donovan and other U.S. military personnel fly in aboard an MV-22B Osprey to visit the recently reopened U.S. Embassy in Caracas.

Donovan is the second high-level U.S. official to visit Cuba and meet with Cuban leaders in recent weeks. On May 14, CIA Director John Ratcliffe led a delegation to meet with Cuban officials in Havana.