Americas Security Update, Nov. 3: Rubio Presses Venezuela on a Phased Transition as Cuba’s Grid Falls 1,900 MW Short

Featured photo: The amphibious assault ship USS Tripoli near Naval Station Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, in August 2020 (file photo). Photo: U.S. Navy, Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Samantha Oblander, public domain.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio met Venezuelan Foreign Minister Oliver Blanco at the State Department on Monday, Nov. 2, and urged Caracas to follow a three-phase plan of stabilization, economic recovery and reconciliation, and then a democratic transition, Al Jazeera reported, citing a State Department readout. The meeting came nearly a year after U.S. forces seized Nicolás Maduro in Caracas.

Key takeaways

1. Rubio told Venezuela’s new foreign minister the U.S. wants economic recovery and political reconciliation before elections; opposition leader María Corina Machado says that points to a 2027 presidential vote (see Venezuela).
2. Cuba’s grid had 958 MW available against 2,850 MW of demand on Monday, with a forecast peak shortfall of 1,922 MW, the state utility said (see Cuba).
3. A truck bomb near an army base in Planadas, Colombia, killed four, including a 2-month-old; the health ministry blamed FARC dissident factions (see Colombia).
4. U.S. strikes on alleged drug boats stand at 72, with 243 people killed, according to Just Security’s count through Oct. 27.

By the numbers: Nov. 3

U.S. naval and troop positions in the Caribbean and Latin America are on our military deployment tracker.

Venezuela

Neither Rubio nor Blanco spoke to reporters. Delcy Rodríguez, Maduro’s former vice president, is interim president and has said elections will be held but has not set a date. Machado, who recently returned to Venezuela, said she is organizing a movement for elections and has had no word on a possible meeting with Rodríguez or Washington, Al Jazeera reported.

A September deal gave Washington a stake in about a fifth of Venezuela’s oil: a joint venture with North American Blue Energy Partners received 100-year rights over 17 oilfields, the Pentagon took a 35% stake in the company and the U.S. may buy 20% of its output at cost, according to Al Jazeera. Machado said the deal lacks the transparency Venezuelans want.

Cuba

Cuba’s Unión Eléctrica forecast a peak shortfall of 1,922 MW on Monday, with 958 MW available against 2,850 MW of demand, CiberCuba reported. Several thermal units were offline or under maintenance, one unit was expected to drop out for lack of fuel and the Energas Varadero plant for lack of lubricating oil. Shortfalls topped 2,000 MW on Oct. 29, 30 and 31, and solar output peaked at 644 MW on Sunday but does not cover night demand.

Colombia

An explosives-laden truck detonated near a military installation in Planadas, Tolima department, on Sunday night, killing at least four people, including a 2-month-old baby, Governor Adriana Matiz said, Anadolu Agency reported. Colombia’s Health Ministry said 17 were injured and one device hit the hospital pharmacy area, forcing an evacuation, and blamed FARC dissident factions, Caracol Radio reported. No group had claimed responsibility. President Abelardo de la Espriella said the government would not retreat, BBC News reported. Full details are in our Planadas report.

U.S. boat strikes

The most recent strike in Just Security’s timeline came on Oct. 27, when U.S. Southern Command said it destroyed a “go-fast vessel” in the eastern Pacific, killing five, CBS News reported. Southern Command said intelligence showed the boat was trafficking drugs but did not publish evidence. Just Security counts 72 strikes and 243 deaths since the campaign began in September 2025, with three known survivors.

Statements by officials

Paraphrased unless in quotation marks. Statements by governments that are parties to a conflict are their own claims.

What to watch

• Whether Venezuela’s interim government sets an election timetable.
• Cuba’s nightly generation shortfall and fuel deliveries.
• Further attacks on Colombian security forces in Tolima, Huila and Cauca.
• New Southern Command strike announcements.

More from the TBR War Room today

• Middle East War Update, Nov. 3: U.S. Hits Iranian Missile Launcher on Qeshm as Iran Claims 3 Tankers Struck Mines
• Russia-Ukraine War Update, Nov. 3: 365 Drones and Missiles Hit Ukraine’s Grid and a Kharkiv Hospital
• Indo-Pacific Security Update, Nov. 3: Taiwan Tracks 49 Chinese Military Aircraft, the Most This Year
• Africa Security Update, Nov. 3: Drones Knock Out Sudan Substations as Khartoum Takes Ethiopia to the UN

Sources

• Al Jazeera: US urges Venezuela to follow phased plan for democratic transition
• CiberCuba: Cuba kicks off November with widespread blackouts
• Anadolu Agency: At least 4 killed in bombing near military base in Colombia
• Caracol Radio: Health ministry rejects explosives attack on medical mission in Planadas
• BBC News: Colombia bombing coverage
• Just Security: Timeline of boat strikes and related actions
• CBS News: U.S. military destroys alleged drug boat in Pacific, 5 killed

TBR War Room reports are compiled with AI assistance from the sources listed and reviewed against our editorial standards.