Washington, May 11 (IANS) US military intelligence-gathering flights have increased off the coast of Cuba in recent months, according to a media report published on Monday.
Since February 4, the US Navy and Air Force have conducted at least 25 flights, mostly near Havana and Santiago de Cuba, with some coming within 40 miles (64 km) of the coast, said the report, analysing publicly available aviation data from FlightRadar24, a live flight tracker.
The missions have predominantly involved P-8A Poseidon maritime patrol aircraft, designed for surveillance and reconnaissance, while some have been conducted by other types of aircraft and drones specialising in signals intelligence gathering and high-altitude reconnaissance, reports Xinhua news agency, citing the CNN report.
The flights are unusual not only for their proximity to Cuban shores but also for their sudden frequency, as such public activity had been rare in this region prior to February.
The recent uptick in Cuba “is new and deviates from where these aircraft have historically been deployed,” CNN said, citing data aggregated by adsb. exposed.
The surge of flights came after US President Donald Trump ramped up rhetoric against the island nation.
In January, Trump reposted on Truth Social a comment by Fox News contributor Marc Thiessen, which said the president would visit a “free Havana” before leaving office. Just a few days after the post, Trump ordered an oil blockade of Cuba.
Last week, the United States imposed new sanctions on key economic entities in Cuba, including a Cuban-Canadian mining joint venture and a business conglomerate run by Cuba’s military, insisting that they represent “threats” to US national security and foreign policy.
CNN noted that similar patterns have occurred in the lead-up to US military operations in both Venezuela and Iran, where escalated US rhetoric coincided with an uptick in publicly visible surveillance flights.
The Pentagon declined to comment on these findings, it said, adding that it has also reached out to the Cuban government.
–IANS
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