U.S. Military Planning for Cuba: The Anonymous Sources Behind the Reports

As Trump tightens his grip on Cuba’s economy, his administration turned to a familiar playbook to drum up public support for regime change on the island.

CBS News reported Saturday that it obtained an internal U.S. Army Reserve message seeking military police, surgical teams and supply units that could be available within 90 to 120 days.

Though the leaked message made no direct reference to the island, anonymous Trump administration officials told the outlet that the request was related to “continued military planning aimed at Cuba.”

Hours after the CBS story was published Saturday, Trump told reporters he’s confident that he will reach a deal with Cuba. 

“I don’t think we’ll need the military,” he said.

CBS’s report fits a pattern Belly of the Beast has documented all year, as anonymous officials feed corporate media outlets accounts of U.S. plans to overthrow Cuba’s government.

Here are some recent examples:

In August, Politico reported the Trump administration had spent months expanding its intelligence presence in Cuba. Its source? “Two people familiar with the Trump administration’s plans for the island.”

Two days later, The New York Times claimed the CIA was assembling a task force to sow divisions within Cuba’s leadership. According to whom? “People briefed on the action.”

The Times followed up with a story that U.S. intelligence agencies were searching for a Cuban official to take power if regime change succeeded. Who said so? Unnamed “administration officials.”

Read more about the Trump administration’s Cuba regime change strategy and the media selling it HERE.