2026年5月23日 美国东部时间12:25 / 福克斯新闻网
美国尼米兹号航母打击群强化军事背景，白宫加大对哈瓦那经济施压
作者：摩根·菲利普斯 福克斯新闻网
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特朗普政府起诉古巴前领导人劳尔·卡斯特罗的决定，引发了外界将其与唐纳德·特朗普总统此前针对委内瑞拉强人尼古拉斯·马杜罗的施压 campaign 相提并论的讨论。目前白宫正加大经济施压力度、直接向古巴民众发出呼吁，并在加勒比地区提升军事存在感。
这起起诉与1996年古巴击落两架民用飞机、造成三名美国公民遇难事件有关，这也引发了疑问：拜登政府是否在测试针对哈瓦那共产主义政权的、类似委内瑞拉式的施压策略？
根据美国南方司令部的权限，美国尼米兹号航母打击群一直在加勒比海域行动，为政府对哈瓦那日益对抗的姿态提供了明确的军事背景。公开披露的部署装备包括战斗机、电子战飞机和导弹驱逐舰。
整体姿态引发了外界对政府此前针对马杜罗行动的联想。当时的行动同样以起诉长期反美的强人为开端，随后升级为涵盖制裁、外交孤立以及强化美国在加勒比地区军事活动的全方位政权施压行动。
奥巴马与卡斯特罗打棒球事件在特朗普司法部对古巴领导人祭出重拳后重燃愤怒
联邦检察官周三起诉了卡斯特罗及多名古巴前官员，罪名与1996年击落两架“拯救兄弟会”民用飞机有关，此次袭击造成四人死亡，其中包括三名美国公民。袭击发生时，卡斯特罗担任古巴国防部长。
美国检察官指控，在民用飞机多次进入古巴领空执行与迈阿密“拯救兄弟会”相关的任务后，卡斯特罗批准了此次行动。该组织在海上搜救古巴移民，并反对哈瓦那的共产主义政府。
古巴总统劳尔·卡斯特罗在哈瓦那古巴共产党代表大会上发表讲话，古巴，2016年4月16日资料图（伊斯梅尔·弗朗西斯科/Cubadebate/美联社）
根据起诉书，古巴战斗机最终于1996年在国际水域上空击落两架 unarmed 飞机，此举引发了国际谴责，也成为冷战以来美古关系中最严重的危机之一。
“这至少意味着，他现在被起诉的方式和尼古拉斯·马杜罗如出一辙，”世界政治研究所古巴问题专家、前美国南方特种作战司令部顾问克里斯汀·鲍林告诉福克斯新闻数字频道。
委内瑞拉总统尼古拉斯·马杜罗在加拉加斯国民议会会议上露面，2025年8月22日（胡安·巴雷托/法新社通过盖蒂图片社）
中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫于2026年5月14日在古巴哈瓦那与官员会面，讨论情报事务（中央情报局）
在特朗普此前针对马杜罗的施压行动中，美国以贩毒恐怖主义罪名起诉了这位委内瑞拉领导人，收紧了对该国石油行业的制裁，支持反对势力推翻他，并增加了在加勒比地区的军事行动。
这场行动最终以美国支持的行动告终，马杜罗被剥夺实际权力，美国通过能源谈判以及包括副总统德尔西·罗德里格斯在内的高层人物合作，重新在委内瑞拉打开了影响力渠道。
卢比奥阐述马杜罗倒台后委内瑞拉三步走计划：“绝非临时起意”
鲍林警告称，她并不认为美国必然会针对卡斯特罗或古巴开展类似行动。
“我不认为我们会采取同样的行动，”她说，“劳尔·卡斯特罗已经94岁了，这么做可能不值得费周折。”
不过鲍林认为，这起起诉传递了“一个非常明确的信息：我们百分百支持推翻卡斯特罗政权。”
记者未能立即联系到白宫置评。
卢比奥称古巴需要“新的掌权者”，停电与动荡席卷全岛
本周，国务卿马可·卢比奥通过直接向古巴民众发出呼吁，强化了这一信息。他指责古巴共产主义政府将该国的崩溃归咎于美国“封锁”，同时让掌控古巴经济的军方关联精英中饱私囊。卢比奥还强调了海外古巴侨民的成功，称古巴民众——而非现政权——有能力实现繁荣。
鲍林将卢比奥的言论描述为蓄意破坏哈瓦那国内宣传的尝试，目的是让古巴民众相信，应为该国经济崩溃承担主要责任的是现政权，而非美国。
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396258239112
“卢比奥希望他们明白，现政权的所作所为违背了他们自身的利益，”她说。
本周，当被问及卡斯特罗遭起诉后美古紧张局势是否会升级时，特朗普进一步加剧了外界猜测。
“不会升级，”特朗普说，“我们不必这么做。”
一些分析师将特朗普的这番言论与卢比奥向普通古巴民众发出的直接呼吁结合起来解读，认为这表明政府可能相信，对现政权的内部施压最终能够达成直接军事升级无法实现的目标。
“这正在播下反革命情绪的种子，”鲍林说。
但鲍林警告称，古巴任何严重的动荡都可能引发远超该岛范围的后果，尤其是在距离佛罗里达仅90英里的地方可能爆发大规模移民危机。
“如果我们真的采取军事干预，我们可能会面临数千、甚至数十万难民，”她说。
随着政府加大对古巴能源生命线的施压，古巴已经持续遭遇轮流停电、燃料短缺和日益恶化的经济危机。
尽管言辞日益对抗，华盛顿仍保持着与哈瓦那的有限沟通渠道。
中央情报局局长约翰·拉特克利夫于5月14日公开访问古巴，与古巴高级安全官员举行会谈。美国官员称，此次会谈发出了警告：古巴不能再充当“对手的避风港”，同时也提出，如果哈瓦那做出“根本性改变”，美国有望与其开展更深入的经济和安全合作。
此次访问之际，特朗普政府正推动一项1亿美元的人道主义援助提案，旨在缓解古巴日益严重的停电和燃料危机。古巴官员表示，他们愿意接受通过独立人道主义和宗教组织分发的援助，而非直接通过政府渠道。
分析人士称，古巴武装力量远不及冷战时期。当时在苏联支持下，古巴拥有拉美地区最庞大的军队之一。如今，专家称古巴军队因数十年的经济崩溃、燃料短缺和装备老化而严重退化。
“古巴曾在第三世界国家拥有第一世界的军队，”前巴拉克·奥巴马政府负责西半球事务的国防部助理副部长弗兰克·莫拉本周告诉《华尔街日报》，“如今只剩下当年实力的空壳。”
不过分析师警告称，古巴的弱势并不意味着该国更容易被施压或 destabilize。
与委内瑞拉不同——尽管对马杜罗政府实施制裁，但美国有时仍与委内瑞拉保持有限的经济接触——古巴军方关联企业GAESA掌控着该国经济的大片领域，包括旅游业、零售业和基础设施。
鲍林认为，现政权与更广泛的古巴国家机构深度绑定，这可能会让任何孤立哈瓦那领导层的尝试变得复杂，除非进一步加剧该国的动荡。
政府也日益将古巴视为更广泛的国家安全关切对象，而非仅仅局限于该岛日益恶化的常规军事能力。卢比奥本周指责哈瓦那容纳中俄情报设施。
目前，政府官员尚未透露任何针对古巴的军事计划。
但刑事指控、经济施压、信息战以及美国在该地区可见的军事资产相结合，让许多古巴问题观察人士确信，白宫正在探索能否将针对马杜罗的施压模式，复制到距离美国海岸仅90英里的古巴。
Castro indictment fuels speculation Trump may be reviving Maduro playbook against Cuba
May 23, 2026 12:25pm EDT / Fox News
USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group provides military backdrop as White House ramps up economic pressure on Havana
By Morgan Phillips Fox News
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The Trump administration’s decision to indict former Cuban leader Raúl Castro is fueling comparisons to the pressure campaign President Donald Trump previously used against Venezuelan strongman Nicolás Maduro, as the White House ramps up economic pressure, direct appeals to Cubans and military visibility in the Caribbean.
The indictment — tied to Cuba’s 1996 shootdown of two civilian aircraft that killed three U.S. citizens — has raised questions about whether the administration is testing a Venezuela-style pressure strategy against Havana’s communist regime.
The USS Nimitz Carrier Strike Group has been operating in the Caribbean under U.S. Southern Command authorities, providing a visible military backdrop to the administration’s increasingly confrontational posture toward Havana. Publicly announced assets include fighter aircraft, electronic warfare aircraft and guided-missile destroyers.
The broader posture has drawn comparisons to the administration’s earlier campaign against Maduro, which similarly began with criminal charges against a longtime anti-American strongman before expanding into a wider regime-pressure effort involving sanctions, diplomatic isolation and heightened U.S. military activity in the Caribbean.
OBAMA’S BASEBALL OUTING WITH CASTRO REIGNITES FURY AFTER TRUMP DOJ DROPS HAMMER ON CUBAN LEADER
Federal prosecutors charged Castro and several former Cuban officials Wednesday in connection with the 1996 shootdown of two Brothers to the Rescue civilian aircraft that killed four men, including three U.S. citizens. Castro was Cuba’s defense minister at the time of the attack.
U.S. prosecutors allege Castro helped authorize the operation after the civilian planes repeatedly entered Cuban airspace while conducting missions linked to the Miami-based Brothers to the Rescue organization, which searched for Cuban migrants at sea and opposed the communist government in Havana.
Cuba’s President Raúl Castro addresses the Cuban Communist Party Congress in Havana, Cuba, in a file photo from April 16, 2016.(Ismael Francisco/Cubadebate/AP)
Cuban fighter jets ultimately shot down two unarmed aircraft over international waters in 1996, according to the indictment, triggering international condemnation and one of the most severe crises in U.S.-Cuba relations since the Cold War.
“At the very least, it means symbolically that he is now set up just as Nicolás Maduro was,” Christine Balling, a Cuba expert at the Institute of World Politics and former adviser to U.S. Special Operations Command South, told Fox News Digital.
Venezuela’s President Nicolas Maduro looks on during a meeting at the National Assembly in Caracas, Aug. 22, 2025.(Juan Barreto/AFP via Getty Images)
CIA Director John Ratcliffe meets with officials in Havana, Cuba, on May 14, 2026, to discuss intelligence matters.(CIA)
During Trump’s earlier pressure campaign against Maduro, the U.S. indicted the Venezuelan leader on narcoterrorism charges, tightened sanctions on the country’s oil sector, backed opposition efforts to remove him and increased military operations in the Caribbean.
The campaign ultimately culminated in a U.S.-backed operation that removed Maduro from effective power and reopened channels of American influence inside Venezuela through energy negotiations and cooperation involving senior figures including Vice President Delcy Rodríguez.
RUBIO LAYS OUT THREE-PHASE PLAN FOR VENEZUELA AFTER MADURO: ‘NOT JUST WINGING IT’
Balling cautioned that she did not believe the U.S. was necessarily preparing the same type of operation against Castro or Cuba itself.
“I don’t think that we are necessarily going to conduct the same operation,” she said. “Raúl Castro is 94 years old. It might not be worth the trouble.”
Still, Balling argued, the indictment sends “a very straightforward message that we are 100% behind the fall of the Castro regime.”
The White House could not immediately be reached for comment.
RUBIO SAYS CUBA NEEDS ‘NEW PEOPLE IN CHARGE’ AS BLACKOUTS, UNREST GRIP ISLAND
Secretary of State Marco Rubio reinforced that message this week with a direct appeal to the Cuban people, accusing the communist government of blaming the island’s collapse on the U.S. “blockade” while enriching military-linked elites who dominate the Cuban economy. Rubio also highlighted the success of Cubans living abroad, arguing the Cuban people — not the regime — were capable of prosperity.
Balling described Rubio’s remarks as a deliberate attempt to undermine Havana’s domestic propaganda and convince Cubans that the regime, rather than the United States, bears primary responsibility for the island’s economic collapse.
https://www.foxnews.com/video/6396258239112
“Rubio wants them to understand that the regime is acting against their own interests,” she said.
Trump further fueled speculation this week when asked whether tensions with Cuba would escalate following the Castro indictment.
“There won’t be escalation,” Trump said. “We won’t have to.”
Some analysts interpreted Trump’s comments — combined with Rubio’s direct appeals to ordinary Cubans — as a sign the administration may believe internal pressure against the regime could eventually accomplish what direct military escalation would not.
“It’s sowing the seeds of a counter-revolutionary feeling,” Balling said.
But Balling warned that any serious destabilization of Cuba could trigger consequences far beyond the island itself, particularly a potential mass migration crisis just 90 miles from Florida.
“If we go so far as to engage militarily, we are probably looking at thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands of refugees,” she said.
Cuba has already been suffering through rolling blackouts, fuel shortages and a worsening economic crisis as the administration increases pressure on the island’s energy lifelines.
Despite the increasingly confrontational rhetoric, Washington has also kept open limited channels of communication with Havana.
CIA Director John Ratcliffe traveled publicly to Cuba on May 14 for talks with senior Cuban security officials, delivering what U.S. officials described as a warning that Cuba could no longer serve as a “safe haven for adversaries” while also offering the prospect of deeper economic and security engagement if Havana makes “fundamental changes.”
The visit came as the Trump administration pressed a $100 million humanitarian aid proposal aimed at addressing Cuba’s worsening blackout and fuel crisis. Cuban officials signaled they were open to accepting assistance distributed through independent humanitarian and religious organizations rather than directly through the government.
Analysts say Cuba’s armed forces are far weaker than during the Cold War, when the island fielded one of Latin America’s largest militaries with Soviet backing. Today, experts describe the Cuban military as severely degraded by decades of economic collapse, fuel shortages and aging equipment.
“Cuba had a First World military in a Third World country,” Frank Mora, former deputy assistant secretary of defense for the Western Hemisphere under President Barack Obama, told The Wall Street Journal this week. “It’s a shell of a shell of what it used to be.”
Still, analysts caution that Cuba’s weakness does not necessarily make the island easy to pressure or destabilize.
Unlike Venezuela, where the U.S. has at times maintained limited economic engagement despite sanctions on Maduro’s government, Cuba’s military-linked conglomerate GAESA controls large portions of the island’s economy, including tourism, retail and infrastructure.
Balling argued that the deep integration between the regime and the broader Cuban state could complicate any attempt to isolate Havana’s leadership without further destabilizing the country itself.
The administration also has increasingly framed Cuba as a broader national security concern beyond the island’s deteriorating conventional military capabilities. Rubio this week accused Havana of hosting Chinese and Russian intelligence infrastructure.
For now, administration officials have stopped short of outlining any military plans toward Cuba.
But the combination of criminal charges, economic pressure, information campaigns and visible U.S. military assets in the region has convinced many Cuba watchers that the White House is exploring whether the Maduro pressure model can be adapted just 90 miles from American shores.