US Targets Cuban Military Leadership and Procurement Networks

The new measures specifically strike at subsidiaries of the state-run conglomerate GAESA, alongside a military aircraft repair facility. Among the individuals sanctioned is Alvaro Lopez Miera, who serves as the minister of the Cuban Ministry of the Revolutionary Armed Forces, and Chief of the General Staff Roberto Legra Sotolongo. These designations follow an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in May, which expanded the administration’s authority to penalize Cuban security forces and their financial backers.

Rubio justified the move by characterizing Cuba as a staging ground for operations conducted by Russia, China, and Iran. Beyond the immediate impact on military personnel, the administration is pairing these targeted sanctions with a national emergency declaration concerning oil supplies to the island. This broader economic pressure has already exacerbated chronic power grid failures across Cuba. While Washington continues to increase the scope of its restrictions—having previously sanctioned the country's president—Cuban officials have not yet issued a formal response to the latest round of designations.