CSIS: "Beyond Venezuela and Cuba: The U.S. Military’s Future Operations in the Western Hemisphere "

 

 "Beyond Venezuela and Cuba: The U.S. Military’s Future Operations in the Western Hemisphere"

Wilder Alejandro Sanchez

Americas Program

Center for Strategic and International Studies

23 April, 2026

Published: https://www.csis.org/analysis/beyond-venezuela-and-cuba-us-militarys-future-operations-western-hemisphere 

After Operation Absolute Resolve, which resulted in the extraction of Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro, the White House is increasing pressure on Cuba for some type of political change. Whether the U.S. military will also be deployed in some capacity to the Caribbean island remains to be seen; much will depend on a potential renewed conflict with Iran.

While these three hotspots continue to make headlines, the U.S. military is also expanding its presence across Latin America and the Caribbean. Combating drug-trafficking will continue to be a priority for Washington, and the U.S. military will be heavily involved in this mission.