By: Staff Writer
May 29, 2026
The Politico is reporting that the Pentagon has spent months positioning the troops and weapons needed for the U.S. to launch a military attack on Cuba — all it needs is a final go-ahead from Donald Trump.
The military assets, which include the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group, guided missile destroyers and fighter planes stationed in Florida and Puerto Rico, are part of the largest build-up of U.S. forces outside the Middle East.
These strategically placed assets set the table for military action, from a capture of Havana’s leadership much like the seizure of former Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro, to a series of precision strikes. And they open the possibility that the U.S. throws itself into the third international conflict of the Trump administration.
Trump is reportedly not actively planning to invade Cuba just yet, though military planners have reportedly gamed out scenarios to send American forces to the blockade-and-sanction-gripped island if it descends further into chaos.
Cuba is “in a lot of trouble,” Secretary of State Marco Rubio said Wednesday at a full Cabinet meeting. “Having a failed state 90 miles from our shores is a threat to the national security of the United States.”
The armada in the region is slightly smaller than it was in January when the U.S. captured Maduro. But the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier strike group entered the Caribbean in May, along with several guided missile destroyers and cruisers that can launch precision missiles at targets onshore. An array of advanced American drones and surveillance aircraft have also circled Cuba for months, according to flight tracking sites. The USS Kearsarge amphibious ships and escorts, which carry 2,500 Marines, are off the coast of Virginia preparing for a new deployment, and could replace some ships heading home.
The Cuban government is warning that growing tensions with the United States could have serious consequences, as residents on the island grapple with worsening shortages and uncertainty.
In Havana, some Cubans openly expressed frustration with the country’s leadership — a level of criticism rarely heard publicly on the communist island.
“Logic tells us there has to be regime change,” said Havana street vendor Yosvany Almaguer, who told NBC6 conditions in Cuba continue to deteriorate after decades under the same government.
The comments come as the Trump administration intensifies its “maximum pressure” campaign against Cuba through sanctions and legal action targeting top officials.