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Senator-turned-Secretary of State Marco Rubio is doing what too many in Washington will not — he is calling out Cuba for what it plainly is: a regional hub for hostile intelligence activity. Rubio’s blunt warning that Cuba has matured into an espionage threat should wake every American who cares about national security, especially those living along our southern flank.
This is not idle rhetoric; our own intelligence community and major reporting have documented decades of espionage activity on the island, from the Soviet era Lourdes listening post to more recent Chinese electronic surveillance facilities inside Cuba. The Washington Post and congressional records make clear that Havana has long been used as a platform to collect intelligence aimed at the United States.
Even more alarming, available reporting indicates that Beijing and Moscow have significantly expanded their intelligence footprints in Cuba in recent years, installing upgraded listening posts and increasing personnel to exploit the island’s proximity to our military infrastructure. These developments are not theoretical; officials familiar with the assessments say the threats are real and growing, and Rubio is right to raise the alarm.
Worse still, this threat has been met by dangerous softness from some corners of the American foreign policy establishment that seem intent on normalizing relations without confronting the espionage threat. While the administration has moved on diplomatic labels and postures, Rubio’s warnings remind us that delisting or diplomatic theater does not undo the hard facts on the ground.
Plainly, the United States must get serious about counterintelligence, tighten export controls and sanctions where appropriate, and harden our military and communications posture in the Southeast. Conservatives must demand a full accounting of the intelligence threats emanating from Cuba and insist on policies that put American security first rather than appeasing hostile regimes for some short-sighted diplomatic headline.
It is also time to call out the appeasers in the media and on the left who shrug off these threats or pretend Cuba is merely a tourist destination; their indifference endangers Floridians, service members, and every American. Rubio’s stance is patriotic and pragmatic — we need leaders willing to defend the homeland, not leash it with wishful thinking.
Americans who love this country should stand behind bold, decisive action to roll back hostile intelligence operations and defend our sovereignty 90 miles from Cuba. If Washington will not act, the voters who sent principled conservatives to office must make their voices heard until our borders, bases, and communications are secured from foreign spies.
