May 18, 2026 • 8 mins
Ryan and Dana talk with Axios White House reporter Marc Caputo about Ron DeSantis saying the U.S. should “help” with Cuban regime change; and reports that Cuba has acquired over 300 military drones.
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Speaker 1 (00:00):
The Ryan Gorman Show podcast presented by Farah and Farah.
Accident attorneys from.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Tampa get to another top story recovery. This morning.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Governor Desanta said the US should be prepared to help
facilitate regime change in Cuba if the opportunity arises, but
it didn't specify what kind of help. He also expressed
support for potential indictment of former Cuban leader Raul Castro
from the nineteen ninety six Brothers to the Rescue incident,
two planes taken out by the Castro regime, killing four
(00:29):
Cuban Americans. Obviously, if that were to happen, if that
indictment were to come down, sounds like it likely willed.
This week could of course end up leading to the
capture of Castro, just like we did with Nicholas Banduro
in Venezuela. This is all coming as Cuba continues to
face really big problems, worsening blackouts, medicine shortages, hospital disruptions,
(00:51):
and we're seeing more protests start to pop up. And
then there's this report out in Axios. It's filed by
Mark Puto, who we have on from time here on
the show, and the report says classified US intelligence indicates
Cuba has acquired more than three hundred military drones and
(01:12):
discussed possible attacks on Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels and
potentially Key West. So you can see the pretext for
action is growing and indictment's coming down. You've got the
national security threat narrative that's popping off.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's not to say there isn't a threat from Cuba,
but you can see the case for more aggressive action
is being made. The report also says Cuba has been
acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since twenty twenty three,
and they've been storing them in strategic locations across the islands.
Sound familiar, kind of like what Iran did. A senior
(01:51):
US official tell Daxios that recent intelligence intercepts showed Cuban
officials seeking additional drones and studying how Iran has resisted
the US military pressure in the Middle East. Now, Cuba's
embassy in Washington didn't deny having attacked drones and said
Cuba as the right to defend it self against external aggression.
(02:13):
Let's bring in Axios White House reporter Mark Capudo. You
can find all of his reporting and a whole lot
more at axios dot com and you can follow him
for the latest on x at Mark Akpudo. So, Mark,
you've got this exclusive report that as everyone here in
Florida talking, tell us about what you learned in association
(02:36):
with Cuba and this drone program they have.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Well, according to United States intelligence, Cuba has acquired as
many as three hundred drones maybe a few more, mainly
from Russia and Iran, and according to US intelligence officials,
they had intercepted the Cubans talking about what to do
in case of hostilities breaking out with the United States,
(03:00):
and that they said would include possible attacks on the
naval air base or the naval base in Guantanamo Bay,
maybe attacking shipping, maybe even striking Key West. Now, US
officials make clear that they don't think Cuba is in
any imminent threat. Cuba has come out and said they're
not the aggressors the United States is. They haven't denied
(03:21):
having a drone program, which by the way, according to
the US intelligence officials, basically began around mid twenty twenty three,
in the second half of the Biden term when they
began acquiring these technologies from Russia and Iran, and recently
in the past.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Two to four weeks.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
I was told there was inquiries of their war, inquiries
by the Cuban officials of Russia to buy more of them.
And in the United States opinion, it's not tenable to
have an enemy, an adversary ninety miles south of the
coastal United States who is arming themselves with this sort
of asymmetric warfare technology.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
That can be a problem. So this is a sticking
point for the United States.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
It's either releasing this information a pressure tactic by the
US to say, we know what you're doing, make sure
to come to the table and let's stop hostilities, or
it could be a pretext for war for the United
States to increase hostilities.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
You want to see, right when you take this into
account with some of the other moves that we've seen recently,
you know the pressure has been ramped up on Cuba economically,
and then you also have the likelihood this indictment against
ral Castro is going to come down this week. You
(04:39):
add in your reporting here and you can see why
some people might think that there is a bit of
a build up going on here. And that's not even
to mention President Trump's comments that have been kind of
vague about what we may or may not do when
it comes to Cuba.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that this administration, more
so than any since Castro came to power since the
Revolutionary Revolution began in nineteen fifty nine, intends to do
something about it, and that could include the use of
military force, which Trump has specifically said is not being
(05:17):
taken off the table.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
This didn't sound to you, and again we're drawn by
Axios White House reporter Mark Caputo. You can find this
report that we're discussing in Axios dot com. This didn't
sound to you like a situation similar to what we
saw in advance of Operation Epic Fury, where there was
a real push to say, you know, Iran is an
(05:40):
imminent threat, and that's why we have to do this
right now.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Correct specifically in our story that the United States says
in view Cuba as an imminent threat, Cuba doesn't have
the footprint.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
That's right. An as a bigger country.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
It's more technologically sophisticated, it has oil, it has more money,
it has way more and way more drones, and it
showed an ability to strike the United States. But the
effectiveness of the Iranian drone program. The effectiveness of the
asymmetrical nature of warfare with drone technology is a concern
(06:15):
for the United States.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That's been brought home, and that's clear there.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Notably, one of the things that we were told in
our Axio story by US officials is that Cuba has
sent as many as five thousand soldiers to fight on
behalf of Russia against Ukraine, which is a leader of
drone technology. There's a belief that some of those Cuban
soldiers came back and told their military superiors and officers, hey, look,
(06:39):
this drone stuff is pretty wild, like it's a way
for a smaller power to resist a bigger power. And
that might also have factored in to Cuba's interest in
attaining and acquiring drone technology as it faces the hostile
presence of the United States.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Last thing I wanted to ask you about, what more
have you learned, if anything, about CIA Director John Ratcliffe's
trip to Cuba last week.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Well, we were told by one person that he specifically
referenced the drone issue as a way to say, hey,
we're watching you. But by and large, this is a
visit to sort of be kind of a show force
and to reiterate the United States posture that Cuba needs
to open up, it needs to have a free elections,
it needs a free political prisoners, it needs to have
(07:28):
the land that was acquired or seized by the revolution
returned to US persons and companies. Essentially, those are the
different pillars of the Cuban embargo. In US statute is
the sanctions against Cuba don't get lifted unless those different
elements are met, and that was reiterated by Ratcliffe as
(07:49):
well as folks from the State Department who last month
had met with Cuban officials as well.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
All right, actually, as White House report of Markupudo again,
you can find his exclusive report on the drone issue
at axios dot com, along with a whole lot more,
and you can follow my ex as well at Mark A.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Capudo. Mark really appreciate you coming on this morning. Thanks
so much. Thanks ye Weeke.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
The Ryan Gorman Show podcast Up we Set on iHeartRadio,
presented by Farah and Farah Accident Attorneys, Tampa
The Ryan Gorman Show podcast presented by Farah and Farah.
Accident attorneys from.
Speaker 2 (00:06):
Tampa get to another top story recovery. This morning.
Speaker 3 (00:09):
Governor Desanta said the US should be prepared to help
facilitate regime change in Cuba if the opportunity arises, but
it didn't specify what kind of help. He also expressed
support for potential indictment of former Cuban leader Raul Castro
from the nineteen ninety six Brothers to the Rescue incident,
two planes taken out by the Castro regime, killing four
(00:29):
Cuban Americans. Obviously, if that were to happen, if that
indictment were to come down, sounds like it likely willed.
This week could of course end up leading to the
capture of Castro, just like we did with Nicholas Banduro
in Venezuela. This is all coming as Cuba continues to
face really big problems, worsening blackouts, medicine shortages, hospital disruptions,
(00:51):
and we're seeing more protests start to pop up. And
then there's this report out in Axios. It's filed by
Mark Puto, who we have on from time here on
the show, and the report says classified US intelligence indicates
Cuba has acquired more than three hundred military drones and
(01:12):
discussed possible attacks on Guantanamo Bay, US military vessels and
potentially Key West. So you can see the pretext for
action is growing and indictment's coming down. You've got the
national security threat narrative that's popping off.
Speaker 2 (01:28):
Now.
Speaker 3 (01:28):
It's not to say there isn't a threat from Cuba,
but you can see the case for more aggressive action
is being made. The report also says Cuba has been
acquiring attack drones from Russia and Iran since twenty twenty three,
and they've been storing them in strategic locations across the islands.
Sound familiar, kind of like what Iran did. A senior
(01:51):
US official tell Daxios that recent intelligence intercepts showed Cuban
officials seeking additional drones and studying how Iran has resisted
the US military pressure in the Middle East. Now, Cuba's
embassy in Washington didn't deny having attacked drones and said
Cuba as the right to defend it self against external aggression.
(02:13):
Let's bring in Axios White House reporter Mark Capudo. You
can find all of his reporting and a whole lot
more at axios dot com and you can follow him
for the latest on x at Mark Akpudo. So, Mark,
you've got this exclusive report that as everyone here in
Florida talking, tell us about what you learned in association
(02:36):
with Cuba and this drone program they have.
Speaker 4 (02:40):
Well, according to United States intelligence, Cuba has acquired as
many as three hundred drones maybe a few more, mainly
from Russia and Iran, and according to US intelligence officials,
they had intercepted the Cubans talking about what to do
in case of hostilities breaking out with the United States,
(03:00):
and that they said would include possible attacks on the
naval air base or the naval base in Guantanamo Bay,
maybe attacking shipping, maybe even striking Key West. Now, US
officials make clear that they don't think Cuba is in
any imminent threat. Cuba has come out and said they're
not the aggressors the United States is. They haven't denied
(03:21):
having a drone program, which by the way, according to
the US intelligence officials, basically began around mid twenty twenty three,
in the second half of the Biden term when they
began acquiring these technologies from Russia and Iran, and recently
in the past.
Speaker 2 (03:38):
Two to four weeks.
Speaker 4 (03:39):
I was told there was inquiries of their war, inquiries
by the Cuban officials of Russia to buy more of them.
And in the United States opinion, it's not tenable to
have an enemy, an adversary ninety miles south of the
coastal United States who is arming themselves with this sort
of asymmetric warfare technology.
Speaker 2 (03:59):
That can be a problem. So this is a sticking
point for the United States.
Speaker 4 (04:04):
It's either releasing this information a pressure tactic by the
US to say, we know what you're doing, make sure
to come to the table and let's stop hostilities, or
it could be a pretext for war for the United
States to increase hostilities.
Speaker 3 (04:17):
You want to see, right when you take this into
account with some of the other moves that we've seen recently,
you know the pressure has been ramped up on Cuba economically,
and then you also have the likelihood this indictment against
ral Castro is going to come down this week. You
(04:39):
add in your reporting here and you can see why
some people might think that there is a bit of
a build up going on here. And that's not even
to mention President Trump's comments that have been kind of
vague about what we may or may not do when
it comes to Cuba.
Speaker 4 (04:56):
Yeah, I think it's pretty clear that this administration, more
so than any since Castro came to power since the
Revolutionary Revolution began in nineteen fifty nine, intends to do
something about it, and that could include the use of
military force, which Trump has specifically said is not being
(05:17):
taken off the table.
Speaker 3 (05:19):
This didn't sound to you, and again we're drawn by
Axios White House reporter Mark Caputo. You can find this
report that we're discussing in Axios dot com. This didn't
sound to you like a situation similar to what we
saw in advance of Operation Epic Fury, where there was
a real push to say, you know, Iran is an
(05:40):
imminent threat, and that's why we have to do this
right now.
Speaker 4 (05:45):
Correct specifically in our story that the United States says
in view Cuba as an imminent threat, Cuba doesn't have
the footprint.
Speaker 2 (05:52):
That's right. An as a bigger country.
Speaker 4 (05:54):
It's more technologically sophisticated, it has oil, it has more money,
it has way more and way more drones, and it
showed an ability to strike the United States. But the
effectiveness of the Iranian drone program. The effectiveness of the
asymmetrical nature of warfare with drone technology is a concern
(06:15):
for the United States.
Speaker 2 (06:16):
That's been brought home, and that's clear there.
Speaker 4 (06:19):
Notably, one of the things that we were told in
our Axio story by US officials is that Cuba has
sent as many as five thousand soldiers to fight on
behalf of Russia against Ukraine, which is a leader of
drone technology. There's a belief that some of those Cuban
soldiers came back and told their military superiors and officers, hey, look,
(06:39):
this drone stuff is pretty wild, like it's a way
for a smaller power to resist a bigger power. And
that might also have factored in to Cuba's interest in
attaining and acquiring drone technology as it faces the hostile
presence of the United States.
Speaker 3 (06:54):
Last thing I wanted to ask you about, what more
have you learned, if anything, about CIA Director John Ratcliffe's
trip to Cuba last week.
Speaker 4 (07:04):
Well, we were told by one person that he specifically
referenced the drone issue as a way to say, hey,
we're watching you. But by and large, this is a
visit to sort of be kind of a show force
and to reiterate the United States posture that Cuba needs
to open up, it needs to have a free elections,
it needs a free political prisoners, it needs to have
(07:28):
the land that was acquired or seized by the revolution
returned to US persons and companies. Essentially, those are the
different pillars of the Cuban embargo. In US statute is
the sanctions against Cuba don't get lifted unless those different
elements are met, and that was reiterated by Ratcliffe as
(07:49):
well as folks from the State Department who last month
had met with Cuban officials as well.
Speaker 3 (07:53):
All right, actually, as White House report of Markupudo again,
you can find his exclusive report on the drone issue
at axios dot com, along with a whole lot more,
and you can follow my ex as well at Mark A.
Speaker 2 (08:06):
Capudo. Mark really appreciate you coming on this morning. Thanks
so much. Thanks ye Weeke.
Speaker 1 (08:12):
The Ryan Gorman Show podcast Up we Set on iHeartRadio,
presented by Farah and Farah Accident Attorneys, Tampa
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