SECURITY COOPERATION WITH CUBA: THE IMPACT OF NORMALIZATION ON THE COAST GUARD’S RELATIONSHIP WITH THE CUBAN BORDER GUARD

Abstract

This research examines the Coast Guard’s maritime security relationship with the Cuban Border Guard—before, during, and after normalization—through a qualitative case study comparison of five distinct mission areas: drug interdiction, migrant interdiction, search and rescue, marine environmental protection, and port security. By reviewing the aftereffects of the Trump administration’s rollback of U.S.-Cuba policy, specifically the impact on the Coast Guard-Cuban Border Guard security relationship, it is possible to recognize that such a policy reversal does not serve the national security interests of the United States. The operational focus of the Coast Guard’s maritime security cooperation with the Cuban Border Guard, combined with measured growth in mission areas of mutual concern, are key factors in the long-term success of this important relationship. With no significant concentration of bilateral security exchanges since 2018, the United States should take steps to reinvigorate law enforcement cooperation with Cuban authorities in areas such as counternarcotics, illegal migration, counterterrorism, and mass rescue operations.