In brief
The US military's deployment of surveillance aircraft near Cuba underscores escalating tensions, with five P-8A Poseidon planes and three MQ-4C Triton drones actively monitoring the area since May 11. Experts suggest the US is sending a clear message of its readiness to enforce an oil blockade on Cuba and deter potential shipments from allies like Venezuela. The situation may lead to heightened political pressures on the Cuban government.
The US military has been publicly broadcasting the location of military surveillance flights near Cuba on plane-tracking websites, as Washington continues to exert pressure on the island's communist leadership. Leaving flight transponders on 'is likely deliberate', said UK drone expert Dr. Steve Wright, with the US intending to send 'a clear message it has eyes in the sky to maintain the squeeze'.BBC Verify analysis of data from flight-tracking website Flightradar24 shows at least five US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and three MQ-4C Triton drones have been operating in the Caribbean near Cuba since May 11. Some aircraft have flown as close as 50 miles (80km) from the island.Flight-tracking data cannot give a complete picture of US activity off Cuba as military aircraft do not always broadcast their positions but share their location for portions of a flight.The deployment of these aircraft comes as US-Cuba tensions have risen significantly in recent months, after Washington imposed an effective oil blockade on the Caribbean nation. It has also been reported by news site Axios that Havana has acquired drones capable of attacking the US mainland, which Cuba's foreign minister responded to by saying the country 'neither threatens nor desires war' and accused Washington of building a 'fraudulent case' for military intervention.These accusations were followed by US Secretary of State Marco Rubio offering a 'new relationship' with the Cuban people. Speaking in Spanish on the anniversary of Cuba's independence from the US in a direct address to the island's population, Rubio blamed the island's 'unimaginable hardships' on its communist leadership - and not the US fuel blockade.Experts told BBC Verify the public nature of these surveillance flights indicates the US is seeking to enforce the blockade and apply pressure on the Cuban government as well as deterring its allies like Venezuela from attempting to get energy shipments to the island. The resulting fuel crisis has led to major power blackouts and triggered protests in Cuba. President Donald Trump has also put Cuba under significant pressure to 'make a deal' and threatened its communist regime that the US could intervene like it did in Venezuela earlier this year when it captured President Nicolás Maduro.In tracking US military aircraft, BBC Verify shows the P-8A Poseidon surveilled closely to southern Cuba while MQ-4C Triton drones operated along similar routes, suggesting the US is specifically monitoring ship arrivals and deterring attempts to breach the blockade. The heightened activity reflects a strategic response to developments surrounding the Cuban government and emerging threats.
