Retired US Army Colonel Octavio Pérez warns that Cuban regime can only respond with repression in the face of mounting pressure from Trump

Retired U.S. Army Colonel Octavio Pérez asserted that the Cuban dictatorship lacks the military capability to confront a potential U.S. intervention and that its recent military maneuvers are primarily an attempt to project strength to the island's population. During an interview on Voz News, Pérez maintained that the equipment displayed by the regime is obsolete and that the exercises serve a propaganda purpose. "They themselves acknowledge that they do not have the capacity to confront any kind of U.S. advance on the island," he stated.

Pérez explained that the images released during the Moncada 2026 strategic exercise show regular forces and not the paramilitary units and reservists who are supposedly participating in these maneuvers. He also pointed out that much of Cuba's military equipment dates back decades. "There's nothing modern that would suggest we're going to survive. The drone flying over the BMDS is the most modern piece of equipment you'll see," he stated, questioning the operational capability of Havana's forces.

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Regarding the consequences of the Republican defeat in the midterm elections and the possibility that a Democratic-controlled Congress might hinder Donald Trump's policy toward Cuba, the retired colonel warned that it would be a mistake to ease economic pressure on the regime. "The Cuban economic crisis has no way out," he said. In his view, the island could experience a collapse in the coming months if the embargo under the Helms-Burton Act remains in place. He also compared the situation to Venezuela and recalled that that regime fell without the need to deploy U.S. Marines.

The former military officer also supported investigations into possible financial ties between U.S. political organizations and foreign governments, after Florida Attorney General James Uthmeier issued a subpoena against Democratic Socialists of America. Pérez stated that Cuba has previously supported groups such as Black Lives Matter and Antifa, and he believed that, if a connection to the regime is proven, sanctions could be imposed. "This is yet another reason to keep the regime under sanctions," he noted.

Regarding the increased repression against Cuban dissidents and activists, Pérez dismissed the notion that this is simply a sign of concern on the part of the authorities. "They are resorting to the only thing they know how to do, which is to repress and arrest," he stated. As he explained, the regime has no solutions to resolve the economic crisis and uses persecution to prevent citizens from publicly expressing their discontent. He also denounced the fact that those who speak on social media about a possible fall of the government end up being detained.

In another part of the interview, on the occasion of Veterans Day, Pérez recalled the personal sacrifices involved in military service and called for recognition of those who have defended the United States. He recounted that, after returning from a mission, his daughter, barely a year and a half old, did not recognize him. "When I came back, she didn't know her father," he recalled. For that reason, he asked Americans to thank veterans for their service: "This is one of the most important things. Of course, it's what gives us the freedoms we enjoy in this great nation."

You can watch the full interview by clicking on the video below.