Cuban-American entrepreneur Raul Mas Canosa expressed his firm belief on Thursday that General Francis Donovan, the new commander of the United States Southern Command, delivered a stark warning to the Cuban regime. This message supposedly came during a visit by high-ranking Cuban military officials to the Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in May 2026: "Either change, or I will change you. Period."
Mas Canosa shared these thoughts in an interview with Tania Costa for CiberCuba, where they also discussed the outcomes of the recent Florida primaries held on Tuesday.
The younger brother of the iconic Cuban exile leader Jorge Mas Canosa, Raul mentioned that he met General Donovan about two months ago. He emphasized how Donovan's approach is fundamentally different from any previous Southern Command leaders he has encountered over the past two decades. "This man arrived here, and his speech had nothing in common with what I've heard in the last 20 years," he asserted.
General Donovan's Three Key Objectives
According to Mas Canosa, Donovan— a four-star Marine Corps General known in the U.S. for combat operations— outlined three primary directives when he took command. The first is to impose "systemic and total friction" on regional drug traffickers and money launderers. Mas Canosa stressed that this phrase didn’t originate from Donovan's communications team but from Donovan himself. "I know because I asked the person who usually writes the speeches. He told me, 'No, no, that was his idea, that phrase came from him,'" he explained.
The second priority attributed to Donovan involves reshaping the Southern Command’s mission. "I need fighters, not people here for humanitarian missions," Mas Canosa quoted him. This shift was evident in early August with the formation of the JTF-WHEM, the Joint Task Force for the Western Hemisphere, described as the Southern Command’s permanent action arm involving 18 allied nations. The third stated goal is to curb Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere.
Relations Between the U.S. and Cuba at a Standstill
Mas Canosa admitted he does not have direct confirmation that Donovan issued such an ultimatum during his interaction with Revolutionary Armed Forces officers at Guantanamo in late May. "No, I can't confirm it, but I deduce it from my conversation with him and his mindset..." he said, leaving his statement unfinished for context to fill in the gaps.
Regarding the ongoing talks between Washington and Havana, the businessman was blunt: "There is no progress." Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodríguez had stated in July that these discussions "show no progress," aligning with Mas Canosa's assessment.
The entrepreneur described the Cuban regime as "completely intransigent" and dismissed the possibility of a Venezuelan-style resolution—capturing a single leader—as feasible in Cuba due to the number of involved officials. "It's not going to be like capturing Maduro because there are too many of them. Maybe they'll come in and drop some bombs, who knows," he warned, suggesting that Washington might resort to more drastic measures if the regime remains unyielding.
Mas Canosa concluded his analysis of Cuba with a striking image: "Cuba is rotten, but the rot starts with the people at the top. That's where the rest of society becomes contaminated."
Insights into U.S. and Cuba Relations
What message did General Francis Donovan reportedly convey to the Cuban regime?
General Donovan is believed to have conveyed a message to the Cuban regime stating, "Either change, or I will change you."
What are General Donovan's three main priorities for the Southern Command?
General Donovan's priorities are to impose systemic friction on drug traffickers, transform the Southern Command to focus on combat readiness, and reduce Chinese influence in the Western Hemisphere.
How does Raul Mas Canosa describe the state of U.S.-Cuba relations?
Raul Mas Canosa describes U.S.-Cuba relations as stagnant, with no significant progress being made in recent discussions.