US Sends Nimitz Strike Group Near Cuba as Rubio Pushes Regime Change
Updated
Updated · The Guardian · May 22
US Sends Nimitz Strike Group Near Cuba as Rubio Pushes Regime Change
11 articles · Updated · The Guardian · May 22
The Nimitz carrier strike group entered the southern Caribbean on Thursday in a show of force as the Trump administration signaled it is laying groundwork to unseat Cuba’s 67-year-old communist government.
Rubio, now both secretary of state and national security adviser, has driven the campaign by casting Cuba as an imminent threat and citing more than 300 drones allegedly acquired by Havana plus Russian and Chinese intelligence ties.
Trump said he could be the president who finally "does it" after others failed for 50 or 60 years, while Democrats warned the leaked intelligence could become a pretext for another intervention after recent uses of force abroad.
Cuba is already under severe strain: fuel shortages and sanctions have contributed to blackouts lasting up to 20 hours a day in parts of Havana, raising fears US pressure could force a collapse without a plan for what follows.
Will 'maximum pressure' on Cuba spark a democratic uprising, or will it unleash a massive migration crisis on America's own shores?
Is the US campaign against Cuba about freedom, or a move to expel Russian and Chinese influence from the Western Hemisphere?
In May 2026, the United States sharply escalated pressure on Cuba by deploying the USS Nimitz aircraft carrier to the Caribbean and unsealing an indictment against former Cuban President Raúl Castro for his alleged role in the 1996 shootdown of civilian planes. These actions are part of a broader US strategy under President Trump, which includes sanctions, a fuel blockade, and a military build-up aimed at forcing political change in Cuba. The simultaneous military and legal moves highlight a multipronged approach designed to increase leverage over Cuba’s communist government and signal a new phase in US-Cuba relations.