US intensifies military intelligence gathering off the coast of Cuba

Washington (ANTARA) - US military intelligence-gathering flights have increased off the coast of Cuba in recent months, as reported by CNN on Monday (11/5). Since 4 February, the US Navy and Air Force have conducted at least 25 flights, most of which were tracked near Havana and Santiago de Cuba, with some within a 64 km radius of the coastline, according to the report. CNN’s report analysed publicly available flight data from FlightRadar24, a live flight tracking service. The missions mostly involved P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, while others were carried out by aircraft and drones specialised in signals intelligence collection and high-altitude reconnaissance, the report further stated. These flights are considered unusual, not only due to their proximity to the Cuban coast but also because of their sudden frequency, given that such public activity has rarely occurred in the area before February. The recent increase in activity off Cuba’s coast is new and deviates from the locations where such aircraft are typically deployed, CNN said, citing data collected by ADSB Exposed. The spike in flights comes after US President Donald Trump escalated his rhetoric against the island nation. In January, Trump reposted on Truth Social a comment from Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen stating that the president would visit a “free Havana” before his term ends. Just days after that post, Trump ordered an oil blockade against Cuba. Last week, the US imposed new sanctions on several major Cuban economic entities, including a Cuban-Canadian mining joint venture and a military-run business conglomerate, on the grounds that they pose a threat to US national security and foreign policy. CNN noted that a similar pattern occurred ahead of US military operations in Venezuela and Iran, where US rhetoric escalation coincided with an increase in publicly tracked reconnaissance flights. The Pentagon declined to comment on these findings, CNN said, adding that it had also contacted the Cuban government.