Targeting Enablers of the Cuban Regime’s Arms Imports and Foreign Military Cooperation

The Cuban Communist regime is a state sponsor of terrorism that uses its military and intelligence apparatus to spy on the United States, provide material support to violent radicals and terrorist groups, and spread poisonous Marxist ideology within our borders and polity, all while serving as a staging ground for other U.S. adversaries such as Russia, China and Iran to conduct operations against the United States.  Cuba’s military and intelligence institutions are also the key enforcers of domestic repression and nodes of kleptocracy, notably through the military-run conglomerate Grupo de Administración Empresarial S.A. (GAESA).  Today, the Trump Administration is taking further action to protect our national security by sanctioning entities and individuals who facilitate Havana’s military relationships and the shipments of arms to the Cuban regime. 

Pursuant to President Trump’s Executive Order (E.O.) 14404 of May 1, 2026, “Imposing Sanctions on Those Responsible for Repression in Cuba and for Threats to United States National Security and Foreign Policy,” I am designating five Cuban entities and eight individuals involved in the procurement of military equipment from abroad for the Cuban regime’s Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces (MINFAR) and security forces.     

The Trump Administration will continue to use every tool at our disposal to address the national security threats posed by the Cuban Communist regime, and to drive economic and political reforms to give the Cuban people a better future.  As President Trump has said, his resolve is ironclad:  the United States will not tolerate a rogue state harboring hostile foreign military, intelligence, and terror operations just ninety miles from the American homeland. 

The Department’s actions are being taken pursuant to E.O. 14404, which authorizes sweeping sanctions on Cuba, including against persons who support the Cuban regime’s security apparatus and those responsible for repression in Cuba and other threats to U.S. national security. These actions also further both E.O. 14380, “Addressing Threats to the United States by the Government of Cuba” and National Security Presidential Memorandum 5 , which directs the Executive Branch to improve human rights, encourage the rule of law, foster free markets and free enterprise, and promote democracy in Cuba. For more information on today’s action, see the Department of State’s Fact Sheet.