According to a leaked internal Army message obtained and reviewed by CBS News, the United States Army Reserve is currently looking into whether it can sufficiently supply military police, medical teams, and various other support units to US Southern Command within the next four months, appearing to signal a buildup to potential US military action in Cuba before the end of the year.
The leaked internal message does not mention Cuba by name, and it does not appear that any deployment orders have been issued yet. However, multiple US officials spoke with CBS on condition of anonymity, as they are not authorized by the US government to comment on this matter to the press, and confirmed that the message focuses on the island Donald Trump has long been setting his sights on.
The message was reportedly penned last week and calls on Army Reserve commands to report to the Army whether six separate types of units are available, indicating that they may be "needed in 90-120 days." Army commands have until today to respond. The overall timeline points to potential action as early as December.
The units requested by the Army include an engineer battalion and a combat sustainment support battalion, as well as an expeditionary sustainment command to run logistics, a medical brigade, a surgical team for front-line trauma care, and a military police brigade -- suffice it to say, whatever they're planning is no small potato.
The Army Reserve did not respond to CBS' request for comment, and a spokesperson for Southern Command refused to discuss "potential deployment timelines," saying only that the command "continuously coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a range of potential requirements."
This disturbing, newly leaked message joins a litany of other indicators throughout this year that the Trump Administration is moving toward military action in Cuba. Earlier this year, military personnel confirmed that US forces had conducted surveys of the seafloor and sea approaches around the island. Around the same time, US air units were also placed on heightened readiness. None of those plans were ultimately carried out.
As recently as July, reports indicated that the Pentagon had considered an air assault by thousands of 101st Airborne Division soldiers, but stressed at the time that leadership had made no final decisions.
For his part, the president and his administration have been leaning hard on Havana, imposing new sanctions on the Cuban military enterprises that are connected to the island's nickel industry just this week. At his UN speech, President Trump declared that Cuba's Communist government "will fall," and claimed that Secretary of State Marco Rubio was "deep into negotiations" with Havana -- this prompted the Cuban delegation to walk out in the middle of his speech.
President Trump says Cuba is a "failed state" and that "it will fall," and Cuban delegation walks out. pic.twitter.com/BTbusdXoMQ
— CSPAN (@cspan) September 22, 2026
Trump certainly has not attempted to hide his ambitions with respect to Cuba, openly declaring in March that he fully intends to have "the honor of taking Cuba."
TRUMP: “I do believe I'll be having the honor of taking Cuba. That's a big honor … Whether I free it, take it, I think I could do anything I want with it if you want to know the truth. They're a very weakened nation right now.” pic.twitter.com/jHHKSACSuO
— Story Web (@Ezekle1) March 17, 2026
"Whether I free it, take it — I think I could do anything I want with it, if you want to know the truth," the president said earlier this year. He would later go on to state that "Cuba's going to be next."
Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel has made it abundantly clear that his country will viciously resist any attacks from the United States.
