The unusual meeting between Francis Donovan and Roberto Legrá Sotolongo addressed “operational security” around the perimeter of the U.S. naval base
14ymedio/Agencies, Havana, May 29, 2026 — The head of the U.S. Southern Command, Francis L. Donovan, met this Friday with Cuba’s Chief of the General Staff, Roberto Legrá Sotolongo, at the perimeter of the Guantánamo Bay Naval Station, in an unusual meeting between senior military officials from the two countries.
According to EFE, the meeting was confirmed by the Southern Command itself in a brief statement, which noted that the generals held “a brief exchange on operational security matters.” The discussion also addressed issues related to the safety of military personnel and their families, as well as the operational readiness of the base, together with officers stationed in Guantánamo.
“The Guantánamo Bay Naval Station constitutes a vital operational and logistical hub that supports United States military efforts to counter threats that undermine security, stability, and democracy in our hemisphere,” the Southern Command said in its statement.
Donovan also conducted an assessment of the “perimeter security of the naval base.”
The discussion also addressed issues related to the safety of military personnel and their families
In a brief statement published on social media, Cuba’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces confirmed that the meeting took place “by agreement of both parties.”
It also stated that the two “delegations considered the meeting positive, where issues related to security around the perimeter dividing the military enclave were discussed,” referring to the naval base. It further added that there was agreement “to maintain communication between both military commands.”
Reuters, which first reported the meeting citing a U.S. official speaking on condition of anonymity, noted that Donovan’s visit to Cuba is the first remembered in recent years involving a Southern Command chief and senior Cuban military leaders. The agency placed the contact in the context of growing concern in Havana about the possibility of U.S. military action against the Isand.
The meeting comes after the unusual visit to Havana on May 14 by the Director of the CIA, John Ratcliffe, amid increasing pressure from Washington on the Cuban regime.
Guantánamo, where the meeting took place, is one of the most sensitive points in relations between the two countries
The military contact comes at a particularly tense moment in bilateral relations. The administration of Donald Trump has hardened its policy toward Havana and placed Cuba among its foreign policy priorities in the hemisphere.
On May 20, Washington formally charged former president Raúl Castro with four counts of murder for the 1996 shootdown of civilian aircraft operated by Miami exiles. The charges were presented as a new step in the United States’ judicial and political offensive against figures within the Cuban leadership.
Guantánamo, where the meeting took place, is one of the most sensitive issues in relations between the two countries. The United States has maintained a naval base there since the beginning of the twentieth century.
In March, Donovan told U.S. lawmakers that the Southern Command was not preparing an invasion, although he stated that its forces were ready to defend the Guantánamo base, protect the U.S. Embassy in Havana, and support a potential response to a large-scale migration crisis.
Translated by Regina Anavy
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