Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth visited the US military base at Guantanamo Bay, warning Cuba against acquiring weapons that could threaten the United States.
Washington has ramped up pressure against Cuba with sanctions and a crippling oil blockade, and President Donald Trump has repeatedly signaled that the Cuban government could be the next to fall to US pressure.
Hegseth said it would be unwise for the Cuban government to try to procure or get access to the types of weapons that could reach the base or the American homeland.
US media outlet Axios reported last month that Cuba had obtained more than 300 military drones and recently began discussing plans to use them to attack the Guantanamo base, US military vessels and possibly even Florida.
Cuba has been acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since 2023 and is seeking to buy more, US officials told Axios.
The trip to Guantanamo is the second by Hegseth as Pentagon chief, after another early last year, and is the latest in a series of visits to the island by top US officials.
