(SeaPRwire) – By: Gavin Thorne
The America First Policy Institute’s new report isn’t just another partisan Cuba take. It’s a wake-up call that Washington has slept on the real threat 90 miles from Florida’s coast. For decades, policymakers framed Cuba as a migration or human rights problem, not a strategic asset for U.S. adversaries. They ignored the way Havana’s partnerships with rival powers put American homeland security at risk. That blind spot just got a lot harder to brush off entirely.
The report’s sharpest warning centers on Chinese signals intelligence facilities on Cuban soil. A June 18, 2026 analysis from the Center for Strategic and International Studies confirmed ongoing activity at four previously identified sites. Several of those sites have documented links to Chinese intelligence operations. Melissa Ford Maldonado, the report’s lead author, said the evidence of Chinese spying from Cuba is deeply compelling. China is using Cuba’s geographic proximity to monitor U.S. homeland activity directly.
Russia’s longstanding ties to Cuba run far deeper than its recent links to China. The two nations have extensive diplomatic and military cooperation agreements in place for years. An October 5, 2025 State Department cable estimated 1,000 to 5,000 Cubans fought alongside Russian forces in Ukraine. Ukraine closed its Havana embassy in October 2025, citing Cuban inaction on Russian recruitment efforts. Cuba denies sending troops, but 26 Cubans were convicted of mercenary activity between 2023 and 2025.
The Trump administration already formally labeled Cuba a national security threat in a January 29, 2026 executive order. It grouped Havana with Russia, China, Iran, and Iranian proxies like Hezbollah and Hamas. The order specifically accused Cuba of hosting foreign military and intelligence capabilities. AFPI’s report calls for tougher U.S. responses, but explicitly rules out deploying new American military bases on Cuban soil.
Critics of the Trump administration’s maximum-pressure strategy argue it only worsens Cuba’s humanitarian crisis. Most Cuban provinces face over 20 hours of daily power outages, per an August 13, 2026 Reuters report. Food, medicine, and clean water shortages have pushed living conditions to their worst point in modern history. The U.N.’s independent human rights experts called for sanctions to be lifted in June 2026, citing harm to civilian access to essential goods.
The next U.S. presidential administration will have to navigate a brutal choice: double down on regime change or close the strategic security gap 90 miles from the Florida coast.
Author bio: Gavin Thorne, an investigative journalist based in Washington, D.C., tracking special interests and federal legislative affairs.