U.S. nuclear-powered submarine docks in Guantanamo Bay

U.S. Southern Command on Thursday said the USS Helena, a fast-attack submarine, was at the U.S. naval base in Cuba. The statement described the port visit as part of a routine transit around the region and that officials had previously planned the visit to Cuba.

What’s the big deal with this? A group of Russian military ships arrived in Cuba earlier this week, according to a statement by Cuba’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The flotilla, which includes a Russian nuclear-powered submarine, is scheduled to stay in Cuba until next Monday. The ships conducted precision missile exercises in the Atlantic Ocean before docking in Cuba, according to a translated social media statement by the Russian Defense Ministry.

What do U.S. officials have to say about this? Earlier this week, Deputy Pentagon Press Secretary Sabrina Singh downplayed the arrival of the ships. She described their visit to Cuba as routine and said the Russian military had sent naval vessels on port calls like this before. She added that the Russian ships’ military exercises were not a threat to the United States.

Dig deeper: Read Christina Grube’s in The Sift report on the ships’ arrival.