On Wednesday, the America First Policy Institute (AFPI), a think tank linked to the administration of US President Donald Trump, published a report recommending the re-establishment of a permanent US military presence in the Caribbean as part of a strategy to keep Cuba, which it regards as a national security threat, under control.
The analysis, authored by Melissa Ford Maldonado, director of AFPI’s Americas Initiative, calls for mechanisms to be reactivated so that the US military footprint in the Caribbean would not depend on ad hoc deployments. The proposal seeks to bring the approach more closely into line with the mission of the Caribbean Defense Command, the predecessor to the current Southern Command.
However, the report does not call for the Pentagon to construct large permanent military bases in Cuba or elsewhere in the Caribbean. Instead, Ford Maldonado proposes expanding access agreements, overflight rights and cooperative security locations with trusted regional partners. The report suggests that such arrangements could grow as more like-minded governments emerge seeking to strengthen their security ties with Washington.
The proposed military strategy forms part of a broader set of recommendations aimed at increasing pressure on Havana. The report advocates expanding existing economic measures against Cuba and proposes seeking additional Foreign Terrorist Organization (FTO) designations for entities integrated into the Cuban state, including the Communist Party of Cuba (PCC) and GAESA, the Cuban business conglomerate.
Ford Maldonado also calls for Havana to sever its ties with countries considered adversaries by Washington, specifically Russia and China. The report recommends strengthening US counterintelligence capabilities and removing the PCC from power, followed by elections, reforms and accountability for alleged past abuses.
The proposals extend beyond military and economic measures into the information sphere. Ford Maldonado urges the White House to help dismantle Cuba’s information system and intensify what the report describes as a US information offensive.
The document points to Radio Martí and Televisión Martí as examples of previous US efforts to influence information flows to Cuba. Both programmes were shut down by order of Trump in 2025 as part of efforts to reduce federal spending.
Ford Maldonado argues that elements of those programmes that proved effective should be preserved, while outdated components should be replaced with a more agile and digital information initiative. The proposed approach would place greater emphasis on technology and other tools considered more difficult for Cuban authorities to block.
The recommendations envisage a broader US strategy combining military access, security cooperation, economic pressure, counterintelligence and information operations. While the report rejects the construction of large permanent bases in the Caribbean, its proposal for a more sustained US military footprint would mark a shift away from reliance on temporary deployments and towards a more structured regional presence.
