US intelligence activity near Cuba highlights growing pressure on Havana as its economic lifelines continue to erode.
Open-source intelligence reports indicate that in recent days, the US Air Force has conducted multiple intelligence collection missions near Cuba using the RC-135V Rivet Joint, one of the US military’s most advanced strategic reconnaissance aircraft.
The platform is designed to gather real-time electronic and signals intelligence used to support operational decision-making and direct forces if required.
The increased surveillance activity comes as Cuba faces mounting economic and energy pressure. Havana remains under a longstanding US blockade, oil supplies are rapidly dwindling, and the regime’s key external lifeline — support from Venezuela — has been sharply curtailed. With fuel shortages worsening and blackouts spreading across the island, analysts describe the situation as resembling the early stages of Venezuela’s economic collapse.
