The US military has been publicly broadcasting the location of surveillance flights near Cuba on plane-tracking websites, with aircraft operating as close as 50 miles from the island since May 11. BBC Verify analysis of Flightradar24 data shows at least five US Navy P-8A Poseidon surveillance aircraft and three MQ-4C Triton drones have conducted operations in the Caribbean near Cuba during this period.
The deployment comes amid significantly heightened US-Cuba tensions following Washington's imposition of an effective oil blockade on the Caribbean nation. Secretary of State Marco Rubio addressed the Cuban people in Spanish on Wednesday, offering a "new relationship" while blaming the island's hardships on its communist leadership rather than the US fuel blockade. President Donald Trump has also pressured Cuba to "make a deal" and threatened intervention similar to actions taken against Venezuela earlier this year.
What the Left Is Saying
Democratic lawmakers have expressed concern about the humanitarian impact of the oil blockade on ordinary Cubans. Representative Joaquin Castro of Texas said the policy approach prioritizes regime pressure over the wellbeing of civilians already facing power shortages. Human rights advocates within the party note that while they support engagement with Cuba on democracy and human rights issues, an outright fuel blockade risks exacerbating conditions for everyday citizens rather than achieving political change.
Progressive groups have questioned whether increased surveillance operations risk escalating tensions in a region where miscalculation could prove costly. Some Democrats who support holding Cuba accountable for its governance record have nonetheless called for diplomatic channels to remain open alongside any enforcement measures.
What the Right Is Saying
Republican lawmakers broadly support the administration's approach to pressuring the Cuban government. Senator Marco Rubio, who delivered this week's direct address to Cubans, has long advocated for aggressive stances against Havana and argued that communist leadership bears responsibility for the island's economic struggles rather than US policy.
Conservative foreign policy analysts say surveillance flights serve legitimate purposes in enforcing the blockade by detecting potential smuggling routes, particularly from Venezuela. They argue transparency about these operations sends a clear deterrent signal to actors attempting to circumvent sanctions without requiring direct confrontation at sea.
What the Numbers Show
BBC Verify identified five P-8A Poseidon aircraft and three MQ-4C Triton drones operating near Cuba since May 11. In comparison, flight-tracking data from February 1-7 showed only one P-8 in the vicinity and no comparable Triton activity, though a US Air Force RC-135V Rivet Joint reconnaissance aircraft did conduct two passes over that period.
The limited number of MQ-4C Tritons available to the US military suggests this represents an intensified surveillance posture rather than routine operations. Some flights came within 50 miles (80km) of southern Cuba, with flight paths indicating an intention to monitor ship arrivals primarily from the south, according to Mark Cancian, a retired Marine Corps colonel and senior adviser at CSIS.
The resulting fuel shortages have led to major power blackouts across the island and triggered protests in recent months.
The Bottom Line
The publicly visible surveillance flights represent a deliberate messaging strategy alongside enforcement of US policy goals. Experts say broadcasting aircraft locations through open-source tracking tools signals to Cuba, Venezuela, and other actors that US monitoring capabilities are active without requiring direct confrontations at sea or in the air.
Cuba faces mounting pressure from both the blockade and surveillance operations designed to interdict any workarounds. The Trump administration has signaled it expects movement toward what officials call a "deal" while maintaining economic pressure. What happens next will likely depend on whether Havana responds to the combined diplomatic and economic squeeze with concessions, or whether tensions escalate further.