A report by the America First Policy Institute proposes reactivating military and intelligence mechanisms in the Caribbean and applying new terrorism designations against Cuban entities to pressure the island’s government.
On Wednesday, a report published by the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a think tank linked to the administration of US President Donald Trump, recommends re-establishing a permanent U.S. military presence in the Caribbean. The goal is to keep Cuba, which it considers a threat to national security, under control.
The analysis, authored by Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of AFPI’s Americas Initiative, urges the reactivation of mechanisms to ensure that this military footprint is not limited to ad hoc deployments and is more in line with the mission of the Caribbean Defense Command, the predecessor to the current Southern Command. However, the author clarifies that the Pentagon should not build large permanent bases in Cuba or anywhere else in the Caribbean.
On the contrary, the report suggests that it could simply expand access agreements, overflight rights, and cooperative security locations with trusted partners as more like-minded governments emerge in the region seeking to strengthen their security ties with Washington.
The text reads, “A study by the CubaDebate Media Observatory provides evidence of a cognitive warfare laboratory operating from Florida, that seeks to influence the Cuban public sphere. This network systematically produces and disseminates negative content about the island, repeatedly using the same themes and exploiting emotions such as anger, fear, and despair. The objective is clear: to establish the image of a Cuba in permanent crisis and to reinforce, through communication, the U.S. government’s policy of pressure and suffocation against the Cuban people.”
Economic Pressure and Terrorism Designations
In addition to military strategy, the report advises increasing current economic pressure on the island. Ford Maldonado proposes attempting to increase the number of Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations for various entities integrated into the Cuban state, including the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and GAESA, the Cuban business conglomerate.
The document also advocates severing Havana’s ties with countries considered adversaries, such as Russia and China, strengthening Washington’s counterintelligence capabilities, and removing the PCC from power. From there, the text demands elections, reforms, and accountability for alleged past abuses.
In the communications sphere, the expert urges the White House to help dismantle the Cuban information system and intensify the U.S. information offensive. The text recalls the role of Radio Martí and Televisión Martí, which were shut down by order of Trump in 2025 to reduce federal spending.
Ford Maldonado believes that the U.S. government should preserve the aspects of these programs that were effective while replacing the obsolete ones with a more agile and digital information initiative, emphasizing technology and other tools that are more difficult for Cuban authorities to block.
Author: HGV/JF
Source: Telesur/EFE
0 Comentarios