Overview
- U.S. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, who visited Guantánamo on June 10, said the U.S. military is prepared for any eventuality regarding Cuba and used the trip to stress readiness.
- Shortly after the visit he told reporters that the remaining Guantánamo detainees “should have long ago been executed,” a comment that drew criticism because several detainees still face active legal proceedings.
- The Pentagon reported in early 2025 that 15 men remained at Guantánamo, of whom two were convicted by military commissions and seven still had cases pending in military courts.
- Late last month an unusual face‑to‑face meeting took place near the base between U.S. SOUTHCOM commander General Francis Donovan and Cuban chief of staff Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, showing that military-to-military contacts continue even as rhetoric rises.
- Guantánamo sits on Cuban soil under a disputed 1903 lease and has long been a human‑rights flashpoint; the new rhetoric and punitive proposals risk legal challenges, deeper diplomatic rupture, and a higher chance of unintended military escalation that could affect civilians and regional stability.