CIA Forms Secret Cuba Task Force: Sources

The Cold War is getting a quiet sequel in the Caribbean, reports the New York Times. The CIA has formed a classified Cuba task force aimed at stepping up pressure on Havana to make economic, political, and leadership changes sought by US President Trump, according to officials briefed on the move. The unit is pulling in case officers, analysts, cyber specialists, and covert influence operators, and is backed by a broader intelligence shift that just elevated Cuba to a top-tier US spying priority alongside China, Iran, and Russia, the sources say.

Unlike the CIA's Bay of Pigs-era task force, this one isn't authorized to train armed proxies or run lethal missions. Its goal, sources say, is to expose and exploit fractures within Cuba's ruling elite and encourage the rise of leaders more open to Washington's demands. Cuban officials, for their part, denounce the effort as familiar "espionage, subversion and destabilization." Adam Entous' piece in the Times traces how this new campaign grew out of past cooperation, Trump's hard line, and the administration's broader regional strategy—read the full article for more. Sources who spoke to Politico similarly say the Trump administration is pushing for Cuba's communist regime to fall entirely, or reform.