The Central Intelligence Agency has secretly established a dedicated Cuba task force aimed at orchestrating a sustained campaign to pressure the Cuban government to accept the economic, political, and leadership changes demanded by President Trump, according to reporting from The New York Times and Politico published this week.
The task force, created in recent months, marks a significant escalation in the Trump administration's efforts to reshape Cuba's government. According to individuals briefed on the operation, the establishment of the task force will allow the CIA to deploy substantially more financial resources, additional personnel, and advanced technical capabilities against the island.
The CIA has also elevated Cuba to "Priority 1" intelligence status, placing it on the same level as Russia, Iran, and China, according to reporting from the World Politics Review. The move reflects the significance the Trump administration has assigned to influencing developments in Cuba.
According to The New York Times, the task force mandate focuses on creating fissures among Cuba's political elite with the goal of pressuring the regime to replace figures perceived as anti-American hardliners with leaders considered more amenable to Trump's demands. The task force is staffed with case officers trained in recruiting and managing intelligence sources, cyber operations specialists, and officials experienced in covert influence operations.
The CIA declined to comment on the task force's establishment. The White House and the Defense Department have also not publicly addressed the reported operation.
The operation represents an escalation of months of pressure against Cuba by the Trump administration. In May 2026, CIA Director John Ratcliffe conducted an unusual high-level visit to Havana, marking the first visit by a CIA director to Cuba in decades. According to those briefed on the visit, Ratcliffe conveyed to Cuban officials that the United States would only discuss economic and security matters if Havana made what he described as "fundamental changes."
According to reporting from Politico, the U.S. intelligence community has increased its operational footprint in Cuba considerably in recent months. The publication reported that the United States has conducted over 150 hours of aerial reconnaissance missions using surveillance aircraft including the P-8A Poseidon, RC-135V Rivet Joint, and MQ-4C Triton since February 2026. According to the sources cited by Politico, such operations could support "anything from intensified intelligence operations to eventual military planning," though no military action has been authorized or appears imminent.
Trump administration officials have characterized the campaign as designed to compel Cuban leaders to undertake reform, though President Trump has stated that diplomacy remains his preference. According to reporting from Al Jazeera, Trump told attendees at a White House event in March 2026 that regime change in Cuba would be a "question of time" following the conclusion of the U.S. military campaign against Iran.
The intelligence collection appears designed to support potential future military contingency planning. According to The New York Times, the collected intelligence will assist the U.S. military in updating its operational plans should Trump authorize military action against Cuba.
Trump administration officials have pointed to the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in January 2026 as a successful precedent for regime change operations. Some advisors within the Trump administration have theorized that Cuba's government could collapse before the November 2026 U.S. midterm elections, according to The New York Times. However, sources familiar with administration deliberations acknowledged that the resilience demonstrated by the Cuban regime despite severe economic sanctions has tempered expectations for rapid political change.
According to reporting from the World Politics Review, Trump stated in a public statement, "We have the CIA there and Marco there," referring to Secretary of State Marco Rubio, who is of Cuban-American descent and has been characterized as the chief architect of the Trump administration's Cuba pressure campaign.
The Trump administration has imposed increasingly severe economic sanctions against Cuba in recent months. According to reporting from Al Jazeera, the administration imposed strict travel and financial restrictions in June 2025 and extended an oil embargo against third-party suppliers by executive order in January 2026. These measures have contributed to widespread power outages and shortages of essential goods in Cuba, according to reporting from multiple outlets.
The Cuban government has characterized the U.S. operations as typical of historical American efforts to destabilize the island. According to reporting from The New York Times, Cuba's deputy foreign minister Carlos Fernández de Cossío stated that the new CIA campaign "should not be surprising, as Cuba has been the target of espionage, subversion, and destabilization operations by the CIA for years."
The establishment of the task force marks a historical parallel to operations conducted during previous periods of U.S.-Cuba tension. According to Democracy Now, in 1960 the CIA established a previous Cuba task force that oversaw the failed Bay of Pigs invasion of April 1961. The historical comparison has prompted commentary from analysts, with Eva Golinger, an American lawyer and author who has written extensively on U.S. operations in Latin America, describing the new operation as "Bay of Pigs reloaded," according to reporting from Common Dreams.
