New satellite photos reveal that a large signals‑intelligence and data‑collection center in the town of Buhocal, Cuba, about 145 km off the Florida coast, appears to be completed and likely operational. According to the Center for Strategic and International Studies, the facility includes a circular array of 32 antennas capable of tracking radio communications and pinpointing signal sources with high accuracy. The CDAA‑type system can monitor military communications, ship and aircraft movements, and electronic emissions across much of the southeastern United States, the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico.
While no public evidence directly links the site’s management to China, U.S. officials have previously said Beijing operates several intelligence facilities in Cuba, and many analysts believe the Buhocal installation is one of them. A similar site is under construction in the El Salado area on Cuba’s eastern side, which would further extend Cuba’s and its partners’ surveillance coverage over the western Atlantic and Central America.