China’s Military Intelligence Presence in Cuba: What’s Next?
Commentary
With growing evidence of communist China’s expanding intelligence operations against the United States, this may be a good time to learn something about Beijing’s military intelligence agency that is planning and directing those activities—the People’s Liberation Army Strategic Support Force (PLASSF).
Established in December 2015 as one of the first steps in Chinese leader Xi Jinping’s comprehensive military reforms, the PLASSF incorporated the former PLA General Staff Department’s Second Directorate (Intelligence) and sections of the Third (Operations), absorbing all their assets, missions, and subordinate organizations. It has a large and growing long-range unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) fleet, elements of which may be flying intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions off America’s Eastern and Gulf Coasts within the next two to three years. By 2030, the PLA may potentially base UAVs in Nicaragua to conduct similar missions off the U.S. Pacific Coast unless Washington starts taking diplomatic and economic actions to prevent it….