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U.S. Soldiers assigned to 2d Cavalry Regiment and 18th Military Police Brigade, alongside German soldiers, stand in formation during a spur ride in Vilseck, Germany, Sept. 10, 2026. A spur ride tests Soldiers with physical and mental fortitude through a series of grueling activities. It incorporates
Photo: U.S. Army Reserve photo by Staff Sgt. Vontrae Hampton | Public domain | Wikimedia Commons

Army Reserve Studies Supplying Support Units For Possible Cuba Contingency

The U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide police forces, medical personnel and other support units to U.S. Southern Command as groundwork for possible U.S. military action around Cuba, CBS News reported Friday, Sept. 25, 2026.[1]

An internal Army Reserve message asked for formations to be made available to move under Southern Command over the next four months.[1] Multiple U.S. officials told CBS the Reserve request is part of continued U.S. military planning aimed specifically at potential action in Cuba.[2] CBS said the tasking remains at a planning and capability-assessment stage and that no deployments or kinetic orders have been executed.[1]

CBS published video segments on Sept. 25 that reiterated the internal tasking and explored its implications for operations around Cuba.[1] The network's reporting framed the Reserve message as a review of shifting resources to Southern Command rather than as an order to deploy forces.[1]

  1. CBS News
  2. CBS News
U.S. Military and Defense Cuba and Caribbean Policy U.S. Military Operations Cuba Policy U.S. Military Planning
Show source details & analysis (3 sources)

📌 Key Facts

  • An internal Army Reserve message asked for the availability of formations to move under U.S. Southern Command over the next four months, according to CBS on Friday, September 25, 2026 (Central).
  • CBS reported the U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide police forces, medical personnel and other support units to U.S. Southern Command within the next four months.
  • Multiple U.S. officials told CBS the Reserve request is part of continued U.S. military planning aimed specifically at potential action in Cuba.
  • CBS framed the internal message as groundwork for potential U.S. military action around Cuba and as a review of shifting resources to U.S. Southern Command.
  • The reporting emphasized the tasking remains at the planning and capability-assessment stage; CBS said no deployments or kinetic orders have been executed.
  • CBS published video coverage on Friday, September 25, 2026 (Central) — including a morning piece and a later segment — that reiterated the internal tasking and examined its implications for operations around Cuba (CBS video piece).

📰 Source Timeline (3)

Follow how coverage of this story developed over time

September 25, 2026
11:34 PM
U.S. military laying groundwork for potential action around Cuba
CBS News
New information:
  • CBS reported on September 25, 2026, that the U.S. Army Reserve is examining whether it can provide police forces, medical personnel and other support units to U.S. Southern Command within the next four months, based on an internal Army message.
  • The internal message frames the effort as groundwork for potential U.S. military action around Cuba, according to CBS correspondent Charlie D'Agata's report.
  • The article reiterates that this tasking is at the planning and capability-assessment stage; no deployments or kinetic orders have been executed.
1:26 PM
U.S. military sets up for potential action in Cuba
CBS News
New information:
  • The CBS video piece, published Friday, September 25, 2026, reiterates that an internal Army Reserve message asks for the availability of formations to move under U.S. Southern Command over the next four months.
  • Multiple U.S. officials told CBS the Reserve request is part of continued U.S. military planning aimed specifically at potential action in Cuba.
  • The segment frames the internal message as a review of shifting resources to Southern Command, without announcing any executed deployments or kinetic orders.