Hegseth demands execution of remaining Guantánamo detainees after base visit

Hegseth had previously visited the Guantánamo Bay base at the southern tip of Cuba. According to Pentagon figures from spring 2025, 15 people are currently being held there. Legal proceedings before a military tribunal have been completed for two of them, and they have been convicted. Proceedings are still ongoing for seven inmates, while the status of the remaining detainees cannot be clearly determined from the available figures.

Pressure on Havana and threats against Cuba

Speaking in Tampa, Hegseth also addressed the future of Cuba. What happens to the island lies "in the hands of US President Donald Trump and the leadership of Cuba." The "Department of War," as he repeatedly referred to the Defense Department, would be prepared for any conceivable development: "Komme, was da wolle – das Kriegsministerium wird auf jede mögliche Eventualität vorbereitet und eingestellt sein". During his visit to the base, Hegseth wore shorts and a T-shirt, posed according to people in his entourage "as one of them" in front of soldiers and subsequently did fitness exercises with them.

The remarks come amid a phase of significantly heightened tensions between Washington and Havana. Under President Donald Trump, the US government has stepped up pressure on Cuba with a series of new sanctions and an oil blockade in order to force economic and political changes in the US interest. There has been concern for some time about a possible military escalation. Hegseth's visit to Guantánamo and his statements are being read against this backdrop as a verbal signal to Havana.

Background on the Guantánamo facility

The Guantánamo facility was established after the September 11, 2001 attacks to hold suspected Islamist terrorists. At its peak, nearly 800 people were imprisoned there. The facility is internationally controversial because inmates were in some cases held for years without regular trial and in some instances tortured. Human rights organizations criticize both the continued detention of the remaining inmates and the use of military commissions.

The United States has controlled the area in Guantánamo Bay since 1903 under a disputed lease agreement. Cuba has considered the treaty null and void since the victory of the revolution under Fidel Castro in 1959. Efforts by several US administrations to close the facility entirely have long failed, according to the Pentagon, because an insufficient number of other countries have been willing to take in the remaining detainees.

Reactions and legal assessment

Hegseth's call for executions is likely to further fuel the legal and political debate surrounding the facility. Critics see the remarks by a senior government official as a departure from the rule of law. Supporters argue that the actions of those detained justify a tough approach. So far, the Pentagon has not announced any operational steps beyond the statements in response to inquiries.

Hegseth's visit to Guantánamo is part of a broader line of action by the Trump administration to increase pressure on Cuba. With the oil blockade and the new sanctions, Washington is pursuing, by its own account, the goal of bringing about economic and political change in Cuba. Cuba has repeatedly rejected the measures as a violation of its sovereignty. Concern about a further military escalation in the region has visibly grown since Hegseth's visit.