Washington has increased pressure on Havana to carry out political and leadership changes demanded by President Trump. That is why the CIA created a secret operational group on the island, which will allow the agency to quickly direct more economic, human, and technical resources toward Cuba.
This was revealed by The New York Times, after speaking with people close to the group, who indicated that they had already begun incorporating officers who recruit and direct spies, intelligence analysts, officers who carry out cyber operations, and officers specialized in covert influence operations.
People informed about the new operational group told the newspaper that its mandate is limited and refers to “creating fissures within the Cuban political elite, hoping to pressure Cuban leaders to replace hardline supporters, considered anti-American, with more pragmatic leaders more willing to accept Trump’s demands.”
The New York Times recalled that in 1960, the CIA established a previous operational group on Cuba, which oversaw the failed invasion of Cuba that the agency supported the following year, known as the Bay of Pigs episode.
Unlike that occasion, when the operational group supervised the training and equipping of an allied force of Cubans who launched the Bay of Pigs invasion, the current force does not have organized Cuban allies. It is also not allowed to enable lethal operatives, although operational groups in the CIA are flexible by nature and the powers under which they operate can be modified at any time by the president.
“The creation of the group demonstrates how much the agency is preparing for what could be a prolonged covert campaign against what has long been one of its most difficult targets,” the newspaper indicated.
This agency initiative is in line with the series of efforts being carried out by U.S. intelligence agencies, the newspaper stated, to better understand the situation on the ground in Cuba.
The New York Times noted that “each government sets its intelligence collection priorities in a document known as the National Intelligence Priorities Framework (NIPF).”
“The Trump administration recently reviewed its version of the document to designate Cuba as a ‘Priority 1’ in the NIPF. (Other Priority 1 countries include China, Iran, and Russia),” it added.
That is why U.S. intelligence agencies, including the National Security Agency and the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency, among others, have begun dedicating more intelligence collection resources to Cuba, including satellites, said people informed about those activities.
“Collecting that intelligence will help U.S. armed forces update their options for possible military action against Cuba, if Trump chooses to follow that path. Before the increase in intelligence activities, U.S. military and intelligence officers complained that they had outdated information; the new intelligence will give them a better idea of the intentions, military capabilities, and defenses of the Cubans,” the newspaper indicated.
“Officers of the CIA’s Cuba operational group, in turn, will analyze the newly obtained intelligence for insider information about the activities of Cuba’s leaders and other members of the political elite, particularly by tracking secret money flows and business deals inside and outside the island. The agency could publicly disclose that information in an attempt to influence Cuban leaders and public opinion, replicating a strategy the CIA has used against other adversaries, including Russia,” The New York Times stated.
