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Waltz warns of Chinese, Russian-fueled ‘national security threat’ looming close to US shores
By Taylor Penley
Published July 12, 2026
Chinese and Russian intelligence sites operating in Cuba remain an active "national security threat" just off America's shores, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations Mike Waltz warned Sunday, reaffirming the Trump administration's determination to counter foreign adversaries' influence in the Western Hemisphere.
"[There are] both Chinese and Russian [sites]," Waltz told "Sunday Morning Futures," claiming both entities are collecting information around U.S. military bases in Cuba.
WATCH: MIKE WALTZ TELLS CUBAN DELEGATION 'THIS IS NOT HAVANA' DURING HEATED UN SPEECH
Then-national security advisor Mike Waltz speaks during an event entitled "Passing the Baton: Strategies for Success" at the U.S. Institute of Peace in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 14, 2025 (Andrew Caballero-Reynolds/AFP via Getty Images)
"The Cuban regime is not only a threat to its own people, it's a national security threat, and this administration is not going to stand for it any longer," he added.
Waltz said the administration has already pushed back against Chinese and Russian influence across much of the Western Hemisphere, citing reduced adversarial footholds in Venezuela, Central America and around the Panama Canal, even as Cuba remains a concern.
"They [Russia and China] still have intelligence posts, signals collection posts and military officers in Cuba right off our shores, but they're no longer in Venezuela, they're no longer in South Central America... even in the Panama Canal, [as they were] under the Biden administration and previous administrations," he said.
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Jeb Bush, chairman of United Against Nuclear Iran, spoke at an event where a recovered Iranian Shahed drone was on display at the Biltmore Hotel in Coral Gables, Fla., on July 8, 2026. Bush addressed recent reports that Cuba is in possession of hundreds of the drones, and the threat this poses to the U.S. (Ronn Blitzer/Fox News Digital)
Crediting President Donald Trump, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Waltz argued the administration has reasserted American influence throughout the hemisphere and will continue doing so.
Waltz's comments come as former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush raised separate foreign influence concerns about Iran's growing footprint in Cuba, citing reports that roughly 300 Iranian-made Shahed-136 drones are stationed on the island just 90 miles off Florida's coast.
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While Bush said the U.S. remains well-equipped to defend itself, he argued the drones underscore the broader security risks posed by hostile foreign powers operating close to American shores.
https://www.foxnews.com/media/waltz-warns-chinese-russian-fueled-national-security-threat-looming-close-us-shores