AREQUIPA, Peru – The Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) of the United States published this Friday new evidence and details about Chinese espionage actions carried out from Cuba in complicity with the Castro regime.
A CSIS investigation reveals four sites inside Cuba that are likely supporting China’s efforts to gather intelligence on the United States and its neighbors.
“Satellite images and open source analysis offer unprecedented insight into these facilities and provide clues as to how they could be used to spy on sensitive communications and activities in the region,” the organization notes.
Among nearly a dozen sites of interest in Cuba analyzed by CSIS, the four bases identified are the most likely to be supporting Chinese intelligence efforts. These facilities are located in Bejucal, province of Mayabeque; El Salao, in Santiago de Cuba; the Wajay, in Havana; and Calabazar, also in the capital of the Island.
The bases stand out for having equipment capable of collecting signals intelligence (SIGINT), their clear physical security infrastructure (guard posts, perimeter fences, military insignia, etc.) and other characteristics that suggested collection activities. of intelligence.
Some of these facilities are decades old, but appear to have been modernized in recent years; others have emerged only in recent years, the study notes.
At the Bejucal base, presumably the most important of all and which became relevant during the missile crisis in 1962, satellite images from March 2024 indicate that the facility is active and has been for some time.
In this regard, CSIS states that to the south of the base there are at least five entrances to underground facilities, built between 2010 and 2019.
“Unconfirmed sources of Cuban deserters suggest that they could be the headquarters of the radio-electronic brigade of Cuban military intelligence,” the report highlights.
The investigation also shows that a variety of antennas are scattered across the facility’s grounds, with several of them having been relocated as recently as January 2024. These include satellite dishes, used primarily to intercept satellite communications.
“The location and characteristics of these instruments could allow the base to track satellites and intercept their downlink communications. Additionally, they could potentially collect data on US rocket launches from the Kennedy Space Center and the Cape Canaveral Space Force Station in Florida. This information would provide privileged access to data on flight paths and telemetry from two of the main sites where US satellites are launched into space,” highlights CSIS.
In relation to the El Salao base, named for its proximity to the Santiago neighborhood of the same name, the organization reports a new SIGINT site that had not been previously reported.
A large controlled directional array antenna (CDAA) has been under construction in the area since 2021, with a projected diameter of between 130 and 200 meters, with the potential to detect signals at a distance of between 3,000 and 8,000 meters. nautical miles once it is operational.
Facilities like these were a mainstay of SIGINT during the Cold War, when the US and Russia operated extensive CDAA networks overseas. Antennas like this are primarily used for high-frequency direction finding (HFDF), which involves locating the source of incoming radio signals.
“Originally developed to help military and intelligence services track the location and movements of their targets, CDAA are now also employed in a variety of civilian applications, including law enforcementsearch and rescue, and atmospheric research,” the investigation states.
For its part, the Wajay base has grown gradually over the past 20 years, going from just one antenna and several small buildings in 2002 to a robust complex today.
Today, it houses 12 antennas of various sizes and orientations, significant operations and support facilities, and even a small solar farm, which could serve during failures of Cuba’s impoverished energy system.
“Although less prominent than Bejucal or El Salao, Wajay has appeared in some documents that claim China played a role in its construction or modernization (…) No satellite dishes are observed at this location, suggesting that Wajay’s purpose is primarily the interception and transmission of terrestrial signals,” says CSIS.
In reference to the Calabazar base, in the Boyeros municipality, the CSIS reports on improvements made recently. The new solar farm stands out in this complex, considerably larger than the one in Wajay and whose installation began in 2012.
The data recognizes that Calabazar has parabolic, vertical and horizontal antennas, probably collecting various intelligence. As at Bejucal, the satellite dishes appear to be oriented primarily toward the south, possibly aimed at capturing transmissions from satellites in geostationary orbit over the equator.
However, changes in the number and orientation of antennas indicate that Calabazar is diversifying the types of intelligence it collects.
“Unlike the previous three sites, Calabazar has not been identified in public records as being linked to China. However, reports obtained by CSIS from Cuban defectors place this base within the island’s broader intelligence gathering efforts,” the report clarifies.
While downlink capabilities to access satellite data can be used for a variety of applications, the types of space tracking equipment observed are likely intended to monitor the activities of nations such as the United States, which have presence in orbitCSIS suspects.
“Even limited access to this equipment would provide China with a much greater ability to monitor and communicate with its own space assets passing on the other side of the globe,” adds the Washington-based organization.
In light of the research carried out by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, Cuban-American congresswoman María Elvira Salazar turned to X (formerly Twitter) to warn about the threat that Chinese espionage represents for the White House and Americans.
“This communist alliance is a serious threat to our national security. “We must stop turning a blind eye to the dangerous ambitions of the Chinese,” he urged.
