Adversary Intelligence — 2026-06-20

CSIS Satellite Imagery Confirms Cuba Bejucal SIGINT Site Now Operational With 32-Antenna Array 90 Miles From Florida

BLUFBejucal delivers persistent HF intercept coverage over southeastern U.S. military corridors, but El Salao antenna installation is unlikely by end of 2026, leaving triangulation capability incomplete.

CSIS published findings on June 18, based on satellite imagery from May 5, that construction at Bejucal is complete and the facility "very likely" operational 12. The new 32-antenna CDAA, approximately 175 meters in diameter, is the largest Cuban array CSIS has documented, with the ability to intercept and geolocate high-frequency transmissions from the southeastern United States through the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean 13. CSIS found no publicly available evidence of direct Chinese operation but assessed Bejucal as likely one of three Cuba-based facilities that U.S. officials have stated China operates 14. A second suspected CDAA site at El Salao remains stalled as of May 2026, with no antennas installed 12.

Analysis
The operational facility gives whoever runs it persistent HF intercept coverage across southeastern U.S. military corridors at elevated American naval and air tempo. Coverage stays anchored to a single node because El Salao is unlikely to activate by end of 2026: imagery from May shows vegetation reclaiming cleared soil and no installed antenna hardware, placing that site in dormancy rather than delay. Without a paired eastern node, Bejucal cannot close the triangulation gap over the southeastern Caribbean, holding SOUTHCOM's threat boundary at the existing coverage footprint. Cuba may operate the site independently with Chinese technical assistance rather than as a jointly run collection platform, which narrows the diplomatic pressure points available against Beijing. Confidence is low: the assessment rests on a single commercial imagery analysis with no corroborating declassified reporting on Chinese operational arrangements at either site.
4 sources
  1. At the Doorstep: A Snapshot of New Activity at Cuban Spy Sites - Center for Strategic and International Studies
  2. Cuba Completes Major Signals Intelligence Antenna Array Just 90 Miles from Florida CSIS Says - The Defense News
  3. New Activity at China-Linked Spy Sites in Cuba - Newsweek
  4. Report: Chinese Intelligence Center in Cuba Operational - Breitbart

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