At least one of the four eavesdropping facilities in Cuba that China may be utilizing to conduct espionage on the United States is presumed to have become operational, a report published by the Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) on Thursday revealed.
Over the past two years, CSIS has warned that the communist Cuban regime maintains four facilities across Cuba deemed to be the most likely facilities used by the Chinese to collect signals intelligence (SIGINT) on the region in order to spy on the United States.
CSIS explained in 2024 that the facility located in Bejucal, Mayabeque, has been “active” for some time. Based on “unconfirmed sources” from Cuban defectors cited by the think tank at the time, the Bejucal base is believed to be the main headquarters of the radio-electronic brigade of Cuban military intelligence.
On Thursday, CSIS published a report revealing notable developments at the Bejucal base between April 2025 and May 2026. Satellite imagery indicates that construction work on a large circularly disposed antenna array (CDAA) has concluded. Imagery first published by CSIS in 2025 showed ongoing groundwork at the time to lay cables between an antenna field at the northeast end of the base and the central control facility.
CSIS warned on Thursday, “Construction now appears to be complete and the facility has very likely begun operations.”
“The array of 32 antennas (19 outer and 13 inner) is larger and likely more capable than any Cuban CDAA previously observed by CSIS,” the report read. “CDAAs are primarily used for high-frequency direction finding, which involves intercepting and geolocating incoming radio transmissions over a wide range of frequencies.”
CSIS explained that, given its location in northwestern Cuba, the CCAA at the Bejucal base could improve the ability of the Cuban regime “or potentially their foreign partners” to monitor sensitive U.S. activities in the Caribbean and across the southeastern seaboard. CSIS pointed out that the potential value of monitoring U.S. movements in the Caribbean and on the Gulf of America has increased as a result of intensified U.S. naval and air operations in the region as part of President Donald Trump’s prioritization of the Western Hemisphere.
While no clear publicly available evidence can demonstrate China’s involvement in the Bejucal base, CSIS stated in its report that the facility is likely one of three sites in Cuba that U.S. officials recently declared to be operated by China. The White House, during the administration of former President Joe Biden, confirmed in June 2023 the existence of a Chinese spy base on Cuban territory since at least 2019. However, reports published at the time indicated that the base existed for an undetermined amount of time prior to 2019 but was “upgraded” that year.
The United States Congress addressed reports of China’s use of SIGINT facilities in Cuba to conduct espionage against the United States in May 2025 during a hearing. At the time, CSIS had recently published a report warning of the construction of the CDAA and other upgrades carried out at the Bejucal base.
Another suspected CDAA site, El Salao, was first identified by CSIS in 2024. At the time, the think tank explained that the facility, located east of the city of Santiago de Cuba, had been under construction since 2021, with much of the initial groundwork installed by 2024. On Thursday, CSIS detailed that progress has “slowed nearly to a halt.” Satellite imagery obtained in May 2026 showed little substantial development and the grass reclaiming the graded area intended for the CDAA. As a result, the facility is not believed to be operational, unlike the Bejucal base.
“Little has changed in the imagery from May 2026. No antennas have been installed and no apparent changes have been made to the surrounding buildings that would indicate that the site is operational,” CSIS’ report read.
Despite the facility’s current state per the May 2026 satellite imagery, work reportedly appears to be slowly continuing, as an access road has been repositioned toward the center of the antenna array. This change, CSIS stressed, suggests the facility has not been fully abandoned, but it remains unclear as to whether it will be completed per its original plans or repurposed for another use. If completed as intended, the facility would complement the antenna array at the Bejucal base and extend coverage over the Southeast Caribbean.
“Working in concert, the two facilities would further enhance Cuba’s ability to triangulate signals emanating across Central America and the Western Atlantic region,” CSIS warned.
The think tank concluded its report by stating that the expansion of the facilities may become a “flashpoint” in President Trump’s pressure campaign against the communist Castro regime — suggesting that the status of the sites could be a key part of any negotiations between Washington and Havana over Cuba’s future.
Christian K. Caruzo is a Venezuelan writer and documents life under socialism. You can follow him on Twitter here.
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