Is America going to liberate the entire world from tyrants? No, but it sounds like we do have another country in mind.
President Trump and Secretary of State Marco Rubio have made it clear that Cuba is next on their agenda. We have already removed Nicolás Maduro in Venezuela, and Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, along with most of his regime, is gone as well. Cuba is next in line. Even the older communists in this island nation, post-Fidel, are starting to show signs of defiance; the president claims he is not afraid of the United States. He has to say that, but I believe that most people in Cuba, which feels like a time capsule, know they would be quickly overwhelmed.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis, Operation Ortsac—Castro spelled backward—was the planned invasion of the island in case military force became necessary to remove Soviet missiles. Although it may not be officially active again, USA Today reports that the Pentagon is allegedly making preparations:
Military planning for a possible Pentagon-led operation in Cuba is quietly ramping up, in case President Donald Trump gives an order to intervene there, USA TODAY has learned.
Two sources familiar with the order spoke to USA TODAY on condition of anonymity because they’re not authorized to speak to media.
The directives appear to be an escalation of recent tensions between the U.S. and Cuba that began in January when the Trump administration curbed oil shipments to Cuba as part of a broader campaign to force sweeping political changes on the communist-run island.
The United States and Cuba acknowledged they are in the early stages of trying to find a way out of the crisis, but it’s not clear how much each side is willing to compromise. In March, USA TODAY reported the two countries had been in discussions to sign a possible historic economic deal that would thaw relations.
Some of my Army Guard brothers and sisters spent a year at Gitmo’s terrorist detention center and they told me the beaches in Cuba are heavenly. Great places for, like, ritzy hotels and casinos. Something to think about.
