Washington — The U.S. Army Reserve is reviewing whether it can provide the Southern Military Command with police, medical personnel and other support units over the next four months, according to an internal Army message reviewed by CBS News.
Although the message makes no reference to Cuba, the request concerns continued military planning targeting Cuba, according to several U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.
There is no indication in the document that units received deployment orders. But the planning comes as the Trump administration puts intense economic pressure on Cuba and urges the island nation to undertake political reforms.
The message did not indicate how many troops would be needed in the Southern Command region, which covers Central and South America, including the Caribbean. It also does not specify where the forces could be sent or what operation they would support.
The document reviewed by CBS News indicates that Army Reserve Headquarters is seeking feedback from subordinate commands on the possible availability of six formation types that would fall under the authority of U.S. Southern Command. The units would be “possibly needed in 90 to 120 days,” according to the message, which directs commands to provide information to Army Reserve headquarters by Sept. 25.
Among the units are a combat sustainment support battalion specializing in coordinating logistics such as transportation, maintenance, fuel and supply needs, as well as an engineer battalion. The document also seeks an expeditionary sustainment command that would oversee logistics in a theater of operations.
The document generated last week also calls for a medical brigade to command and coordinate medical units, as well as a forward resuscitation and surgical detachment to provide emergency surgical and trauma care closer to U.S. forces. Finally, the document seeks to create a military police brigade – these units typically oversee military police forces responsible for security, detention and other law enforcement missions.
When contacted by CBS News, the Army Reserve did not respond prior to publication.
A U.S. Southern Command spokesperson said: “Due to operational security concerns, we do not release details or comment on U.S. operational movements or potential deployment schedules associated with current or future operations, contingencies or planning. However, U.S. Southern Command continually coordinates with the Joint Force to assess a range of potential requirements within its (area of responsibility) in support of assigned missions. »
On Saturday, President Trump told reporters at the White House that he did not think the United States would need the military and that “we and Cuba will make a deal.”
“Cuba is failing very badly. We want to help Cuba. We want to open Cuba to our people,” he said. “We have great Cuban Americans who want to go back. We want to open Cuba to our people.”
Earlier this year, U.S. forces conducted reconnaissance operations on the seabed and maritime approaches surrounding the Cuban island, several U.S. military personnel told CBS News. Additionally, U.S. air power components were placed on heightened readiness and directed to pre-stage personnel for potential deployment. However, these projects did not come to fruition. CBS News is holding back from publishing certain details that could potentially endanger the US military.
CBS News reported in May that U.S. intelligence officials assess how Cuba would react to possible US military action, as the Trump administration accused Havana of strengthening its ties with Russia, China and Iran. The intelligence community’s annual threat assessment for 2026 largely presents Cuba as a favorable environment for larger geopolitical competitors, rather than an independent strategic threat.
In July, CBS News reported that U.S. military planners had considered a series of options for possible action against the island, including a military-led air assault involving thousands of U.S. troops that would be carried out by the 101st Airborne Division, the only unit trained for such a task.
U.S. officials who spoke to CBS News emphasized in July that the briefings were not an indication that the president or the Pentagon had decided to pursue an operation.
Since returning to office, Mr. Trump has asserted a more muscular U.S. role in the Western Hemisphere under what officials have dubbed the “Donroe Doctrine,” a Trump-era corollary to the Monroe Doctrine focused on limiting foreign adversaries and other perceived threats in the region.
In April, American and Ecuadorian troops spear a joint mission aimed at dismantling a suspected criminal center operated by a narcoterrorist organization. On Thursday, U.S. troops and Drug Enforcement Administration agents assisted Ecuadorian authorities for the arrest of more than 30 members affiliated with the Mexican New Generation Jalisco Cartel.
Since September, the US military has killed more than 230 people in 70 strikes in the Caribbean Sea and eastern Pacific Ocean. These operations stand in stark contrast to the U.S. military’s historic role in drug interdiction and apprehension at sea. Some legal experts said the strikes amounted to unlawful extrajudicial killings because U.S. forces are prohibited from intentionally targeting civilians or individuals suspected of criminal activity unless they meet legal standards governing the use of military force.
For Cuba, the Trump administration imposed sanctions on Cuban entities and officials, including military research and development companies linked to the country’s nickel industry, ahead of the United Nations General Assembly this week.
In New York, Mr Trump told the United Nations General Assembly that his administration was seeking “fundamental change” on the island and predicted that Cuba’s communist government would “fall” and said “freedom would come to Cuba”. The Cuban delegation withdrew during his speech.
Mr. Trump also said Secretary of State Marco Rubio was “deeply engaged in negotiations” with Havana and pledged that the United States would not allow foreign adversaries to gain a stronger foothold “on our own doorstep.”
The remarks follow months of increasingly explicit statements by Mr. Trump about Cuba. Meanwhile, Cuban President Miguel Díaz-Canel committed to countering any American attackand accused the United States of “aggression” and “economic warfare” by blocking oil imports to Cuba.
Earlier this year, Mr. Trump said to journalists in the Oval Office that he thought he had “the honor of taking Cuba.”
“Take Cuba in one form or another, yes,” he said in mid-March. “Take Cuba. I mean, whether I free him or take him, I think I can do whatever I want with him, if you want to know the truth.”
Later that month, Mr. Trump bluntly declared, “Cuba will be next.”
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