US Secretary of Defense Travels to Guantanamo Bay to Meet Troops

There is no record of Hegseth having previously visited the Guantanamo Bay base since taking office in 2025, according to available information.

US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth, in an archive photo. / EFE

14ymedio biggerEFE (via 14ymedio), Washington, June 10, 2026 / The United States Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth will travel this Wednesday to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, to meet troops deployed at the base and with commanders from US Central Command (Centcom), amid tensions and a series of sanctions against Havana.

The trip is part of a tour to oversee military operations in the region and to make direct contact with deployed forces, at a time of reinforced US presence in the Caribbean and the Middle East, according to the Pentagon.

There is no record of the Secretary having previously visited the Guantanamo Bay base since taking office in 2025, according to available information.

Following his visit to the base, Hegseth will travel to Florida, where he will hold meetings with senior Centcom commanders, amid a new round of exchanges of fire with Iran

Following his visit to the base, Hegseth will travel to Florida, where he will hold meetings with senior Centcom commanders, amid a new round of exchanges of fire with Iran in the Middle East and growing tension over Cuba.

This type of trip forms part of his regular troop oversight agenda, with periodic visits to military bases inside and outside the United States to maintain direct contact with commanders and deployed personnel.

The visit comes one week after the US Administration announced new sanctions against Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel and other senior members of the Havana government, in response to the human rights situation on the island.

Since the start of the year, US President Donald Trump has hardened his policy toward Cuba, with new economic and diplomatic restrictions and increased pressure on the Cuban government, primarily through an oil blockade that began following the capture of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro in Caracas on 3 January.

Translated by GH.

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