CIA Forms Secret Task Force Aiming at Cuba's Regime Change

The CIA has clandestinely created a dedicated task force aimed specifically at Cuba, with the mission to orchestrate a pressure campaign targeting economic, political, and leadership transformations on the island. This was disclosed by The New York Times on Wednesday, citing individuals familiar with the initiative.

This newly formed group is already integrating case officers skilled in spy recruitment and management, intelligence analysts, cyber operations specialists, and experts in covert influence operations. According to these sources, the establishment of this team will allow the agency to "swiftly allocate more financial, human, and technical resources towards Cuba."

The mandate for this task force, as reported by the NYT, is narrowly focused compared to its historical predecessor: to create rifts within the Cuban political elite, aiming to pressure Cubans to replace leaders deemed hardline anti-American with more pragmatic figures willing to accommodate Trump’s demands.

Historical Context and Current Strategies

Unlike the task force in 1961 that oversaw the training and equipping of Brigade 2506—comprising approximately 1,400 Cuban exiles who launched the failed Bay of Pigs invasion—the current team lacks organized Cuban partners.

The revelation comes a day after Politico reported an increased U.S. intelligence footprint in Cuba, with additional personnel and resources deployed over the past months. One source described this as an expansion of the CIA's "presence" on Cuban soil, while another framed it as part of a broader strategy to compel the regime to relent, though Trump "still favors diplomacy."

U.S. Pressure Intensifies

This new structure is part of a sustained escalation by Washington towards Havana throughout 2026. In May, CIA Director John Ratcliffe visited Havana, conveying to the regime that the U.S. would only discuss economic and security matters if Cuba made "fundamental changes." The CIA shared images of this visit on its official account, marking the location as "Havana, Cuba," which is considered an unusual gesture for the agency.

Shortly after, the Justice Department brought federal criminal charges against Raúl Castro for the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue aircraft, resulting in the deaths of four American citizens. On the same day, Trump publicly stated, "We have the CIA there and Marco there," referring to Cuba and Secretary of State Marco Rubio.

Rubio, of Cuban-American descent, is seen as the chief architect behind this maximum pressure policy. A source quoted by Politico bluntly described Cuba as "a huge priority for Rubio."

Surveillance and Geopolitical Implications

Since February 2026, P-8A Poseidon aircraft, RC-135V Rivet Joint, and the MQ-4C Triton drone have conducted over 150 hours of aerial surveillance around the island, in more than 20 flights, some within 64 km of the coast.

The backdrop to this pressure is the capture of Nicolás Maduro by U.S. forces on January 3, 2026, which severed the flow of Venezuelan oil to Cuba, exacerbating an already severe energy crisis on the island. The model applied in Venezuela has been directly cited as a reference for the strategy now being deployed against the Cuban regime.

An anonymous source quoted by Politico warned that the intelligence deployment "constitutes a tactical step that could enable such an operation," hinting at a potential military action, although other sources emphasized that Washington would employ "all conventional tools" before reaching that stage.