U.S. Deploys Warship in Gulf of Mexico as Cuban Regime Voices Concerns

The United States has dispatched the guided-missile destroyer USS Gravely to the Gulf of Mexico, prompting reactions from the Cuban regime. Departing from the Naval Weapons Station in Yorktown, Virginia, on March 15, 2025, the USS Gravely, part of the Arleigh Burke class, has been tasked with enhancing border security and tackling drug trafficking in the region.

This vessel is outfitted with advanced weaponry systems, including Tomahawk missiles, and hosts a U.S. Coast Guard detachment skilled in maritime interdiction operations. According to the Pentagon, its primary mission is to assist in intercepting drug shipments attempting to enter the United States via the sea.

In response to the warship's presence near Cuban waters, the Cuban Foreign Minister, Bruno Rodríguez Parrilla, condemned the U.S. military movement, asserting that it poses a threat to regional stability. He stated, "This military presence in the area represents a threat to the security and peace of Latin America and the Caribbean."

Meanwhile, Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum noted that the United States had previously informed Mexico about the deployment of the USS Gravely, assuring that the vessel operates in international waters and does not pose a threat to Mexico. Sheinbaum emphasized that these actions are part of drug trafficking surveillance strategies, akin to those conducted by Mexico's Navy.

International analysts point out that while such operations are not uncommon in the Gulf of Mexico, the current political climate—characterized by the Trump administration's hardened stance toward Cuba—has heightened perceptions of escalating bilateral tensions. Washington has yet to respond directly to the Cuban government's allegations.

In June 2024, the United States deployed two destroyers, the USS Truxtun and the USS Donald Cook, along with the coast guard cutter Stone and a Boeing P-8 maritime patrol aircraft, to monitor the arrival of a Russian flotilla to Cuba. This flotilla included the frigate "Admiral Gorshkov" and the nuclear-powered submarine "Kazan."

Earlier this year, the U.S. Coast Guard initiated an immediate deployment of naval assets along the maritime border with Cuba, following executive orders from the White House. This move aimed to bolster security in the waters near the island and curb illegal migration and drug trafficking in international waters surrounding the U.S.

Moreover, surveillance has been heightened along maritime borders around Alaska, Hawaii, and U.S. territories, including Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, American Samoa, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Efforts have also focused on the maritime border between the Bahamas and southern Florida, the southwest maritime border between the U.S. and Mexico in the Pacific, and the maritime border between Texas and Mexico in the Gulf of Mexico.