Esra Tekin
17 May 2026•Update: 17 May 2026
US intelligence officials believe Cuba has acquired more than 300 military drones and has discussed possible plans to use them against American targets, including the US naval base at Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels, and possibly Key West, Florida, Axios claimed in its report published on Sunday, citing classified intelligence shared with it.
The intelligence does not suggest that Cuba is preparing an imminent attack, according to US officials.
However, it has heightened concern inside the Trump administration about Cuba’s military ties with Russia and Iran, as well as the rapid spread of drone warfare.
The presence of drones and foreign military advisers so close to the US is viewed as a growing security threat, Axios reported, citing a senior US official.
“When we think about those types of technologies being that close, and a range of bad actors from terror groups to drug cartels to Iranians to the Russians, it’s concerning,” the official said.
“It’s a growing threat.”
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled to Cuba on Thursday and warned Cuban officials against any hostile action, according to a CIA official cited by the media outlet.
Ratcliffe also urged Cuban authorities to abandon their current political system as a way to end US sanctions.
“Director Ratcliffe made clear that Cuba can no longer serve as a platform for adversaries to advance hostile agendas in our hemisphere,” the CIA official said. “The Western Hemisphere cannot be our adversaries’ playground.”
According to US officials, Cuba has acquired attack drones of varying capabilities from Russia and Iran since 2023 and has placed them in strategic locations across the island.
Officials also said Cuban authorities recently sought additional drones and military equipment from Russia.
The report comes as Washington is preparing new legal and diplomatic pressure on Havana.
The Department of Justice is expected to unseal an indictment against Cuba’s de facto leader, Raul Castro, over allegations that he ordered the 1996 shootdown of two planes operated by Brothers to the Rescue, a Miami-based aid group.
Additional sanctions against Cuba could also be announced this week.
US officials have also expressed concern about Russian and Chinese intelligence facilities in Cuba, including sites used for signals intelligence.
During a congressional hearing Tuesday, Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth said the presence of foreign adversaries operating so close to US shores remained a serious concern.
The administration’s concerns have been shaped in part by the growing use of drones in recent conflicts, including Iran’s use of unmanned aircraft against US forces in the Middle East.
Officials also estimate that thousands of Cuban soldiers have fought alongside Russia in Ukraine, where they may have gained experience with modern drone warfare.
Despite the concerns, US officials said that they do not believe Cuba currently poses the same level of threat it did during the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis.
They also said Cuba does not have the capacity to disrupt shipping in the Florida Straits in the same way that Iran has affected the Strait of Hormuz.
“No one’s worried about fighter jets from Cuba. It’s not even clear they have one that can fly,” one senior US official said.
“But it’s worth noting how close they are—90 miles. It’s not a reality we are comfortable with.”
Cuba has not commented publicly on the allegations.
