{"id":858,"date":"2026-05-22T06:33:35","date_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:33:35","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=858"},"modified":"2026-05-22T06:33:35","modified_gmt":"2026-05-22T06:33:35","slug":"u-s-cuba-tensions-key-west-the-1962-missile-crisis-front-line-remains-vigilant","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southfloridamovingguides.com\/?p=858","title":{"rendered":"U.S.-Cuba tensions: Key West, the 1962 missile crisis front-line, remains vigilant"},"content":{"rendered":"
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KEY WEST, Fla. \u2014 At the end of the Florida Keys island chain, Key West is closer to Havana than Miami. Tourists line up for a picture with the \u201c90 miles to Cuba\u201d concrete buoy on a seawall to prove it. <\/p>\n

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U.S.-Cuba conflicts are not new for the country\u2019s southern-most city. The laid-back island made of coral rock was the 1962 Cuban Missile Crisis front-line military outpost. <\/p>\n

Barbed wire lined the beaches. The U.S. Army took over the 1920 Casa Marina hotel. President John F. Kennedy was in Key West to inspect the HAWK anti-aircraft missile sites. <\/p>\n

\u201cThe federal government actually armed local law enforcement with heavy military weapons,\u201d said Monroe County Sheriff Rick Ramsay, who has more than three decades in law enforcement. <\/p>\n

Some tourists in Key West said they were concerned. U.S. President Donald Trump stands firm on his new policy with Cuba. U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio referred to the communist island as a national security threat. Ra\u00fal Castro is a wanted man. <\/p>\n

The U.S. Southern Command welcomed aircraft carrier USS Nimitz, the embarked Carrier Air Wing 17, USS Gridley, and USNS Patuxent on Wednesday to the Caribbean. <\/p>\n

The U.S. Naval Air Station Key West on Boca Chica Key is just about four miles east of the central business district of Key West. <\/p>\n

\u201cOur installations remain vigilant and will take appropriate actions to ensure the safety and security of our U.S. service members, civilians, contractors, and their families,\u201c a spokesperson for the U.S. Navy Southeast said in a statement on Thursday.<\/p>\n

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Ramsay said he too was vigilant. He urged calm on Sunday after Axios reported that Cuba had acquired more than 300 military drones and Cuban officials were discussing plans to hit U.S. targets. <\/p>\n

U.S. Rep. Carlos Gim\u00e9nez warned Cuba had suicide drones from Iran. CIA Director John Ratcliffe met with Cuban officials on May 14 in Havana and delivered a warning. <\/p>\n

The U.S. Navy reported there was an exercise with \u201cunmanned systems and artificial intelligence\u201d in late April in Key West. Earlier this month, SOUTHCOM shared images of exercises in Key West with \u201csemi-autonomous\u201d drones.<\/p>\n

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Autonomous and unmanned forces:@NAVSOUS4THFLT’s #FLEX2026 exercise in Key West, Florida, last week advanced SOUTHCOM objectives to leverage cutting-edge technology to support the National Defense Strategy.<\/p>\n

The exercise formed the foundation of the newly established SOUTHCOM\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/30q8i7I0eb<\/p>\n

\u2014 U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) May 8, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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Next-generation capabilities:@NAVSOUS4THFLT’s #FLEX2026 exercise in Key West, Florida, is advancing SOUTHCOM objectives to embrace autonomous, semi-autonomous, and unmanned platforms and systems to counter threats and challenges in the region. <\/p>\n

These successes are forming the\u2026 pic.twitter.com\/gNp4TyAqMP<\/p>\n

\u2014 U.S. Southern Command (@Southcom) April 28, 2026<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

Ramsay said he hasn\u2019t seen or received reports of any recent activity in Monroe County that concerns him, but he knows what to look for. <\/p>\n

\u201cWe would probably see an increase in jets at Naval Air Station Key West,\u201d Ramsay said. \u201cWe have seen no increase in ground, air, or sea assets.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Related reports<\/b><\/p>\n