Guantanamo Bay Naval Base, also known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay (NSGB) or GTMO, is a United States military base located on 45 square miles of land and water along the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. The base has been considered outside Cuban territory since 1903, when it was established as a coaling station and naval base. It is the oldest overseas American naval base. Since 1974, the United States has paid the Cuban government an annual amount equal to $4,085 in 1934 dollars (about $98,314 in 2025) to lease the bay. Before 1934, the lease payment was $2,000 per year in gold.
Since 1959, when the Cuban government took control of the country, it has repeatedly opposed the U.S. presence on Cuban soil, claiming the base was established through force and violates international law. The lease agreement can only be ended with the agreement of both the United States and Cuba or if the U.S. military fully withdraws. Since 2002, the base has operated a detention camp for individuals accused of being unlawful combatants captured in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other regions during the war on terror. Reports of alleged torture by U.S. military personnel and the denial of protections under the Geneva Conventions have been criticized. The base has sparked debates about civil liberties, especially after the 2008 Supreme Court case Boumediene v. Bush. This ruling confirmed that detainees have the right to challenge their detention through legal processes, showing the ongoing conflict between national security and individual rights.
Geography
The naval base has three main areas: Leeward Point, Windward Point, and Guantánamo Bay. Guantánamo Bay splits the base into parts. The bay extends beyond the base's borders into Cuba, where it is called Bahía de Guantánamo. Guantánamo Bay includes several small islands, which are named Hospital Cay, Medico Cay, North Toro Cay, and South Toro Cay.
Leeward Point has an airfield. Major features on Leeward Point include Mohomilla Bay and the Guantánamo River. Three beaches are located at Leeward Point. Two are open for use by people living on the base, while the third, Hicacal Beach, is closed. Nearby is the US Naval Cemetery at Guantánamo Bay, also known as Cuzco Wells Cemetery. The cemetery has more than 350 burials, including Captain Henry Smith, who died from injuries caused by the sinking of his ship, the SS Delmundo, by the German submarine U-600 on August 13, 1942.
Windward Point includes most of the base's operations. There are nine beaches available for use by base personnel. The highest point on the base is John Paul Jones Hill, named after a Revolutionary War hero, and it is 495 feet (151 meters) high. Many coves and peninsulas along the bay's shoreline provide good places to tie ships. According to Stephen Benz, Stephen Crane described the area as "craggy" and "cut with ravines." He also described the coastline as covered in ridges and "chalky cliffs."
History
The area around Guantanamo Bay was first lived in by the Taíno people. On April 30, 1494, Christopher Columbus arrived during his second trip to the Americas and stayed overnight. The spot where he landed is now called Fisherman's Point. Columbus named the bay Puerto Grande. Later, during the War of Jenkins' Ear, the British briefly controlled the bay. Before the war, British maps called the bay Walthenham Harbor. British forces renamed it Cumberland Bay but left the area after being stopped by Spanish soldiers during an attempt to reach Santiago de Cuba.
During the Spanish–American War, the U.S. navy captured Guantanamo Bay to use as a safe harbor during the 1898 hurricane season. American and Cuban troops drove out Spanish forces after Marines landed with naval support. A monument on McCalla Hill honors one Navy officer and five Marines who died in the Battle of Guantánamo Bay.
The war ended with the Treaty of Paris in 1898, in which Spain gave up control of Cuba. Even after the war, the U.S. kept a strong military presence on the island. In 1901, the Platt Amendment was added to an Army Appropriations Bill. It stated:
"That to enable the United States to maintain the independence of Cuba, and to protect the people thereof, as well as for its own defense, the government of Cuba will sell or lease to the United States lands necessary for coaling or naval stations at certain specified points to be agreed upon with the President of the United States."
After some resistance, the Platt Amendment was added to Cuba’s constitution in 1901. The constitution became effective in 1902, and land for a naval base at Guantanamo Bay was given to the U.S. the next year.
The 1903 lease agreement had no set end date and was signed in two parts. The first part, signed in February 1903, included the following terms:
The second part, signed in July 1903, included these terms:
SIGNED: Theodore Roosevelt and Jose M. Garcia Montes.
In 1934, the U.S. changed the payment from gold coins to U.S. dollars under the Gold Reserve Act. The lease payment was set at $3,386.25, based on gold prices at the time. In 1973, the payment increased to $3,676.50, and in 1974 to $4,085. Payments were sent yearly, but only one lease payment was accepted after the Cuban Revolution in 1959. Fidel Castro claimed the check was deposited by mistake. No other payments have been accepted since.
The naval base became a key location for winter training for the Atlantic fleet. To support the growing population during training, the base built facilities for daily needs. Construction of the Guantanamo Bay fleet range system began in 1905, with four main ranges. Some sections were closed to allow range operations. The large size and cost of the concrete range system eventually led to its decline. Evidence shows the ranges were used during World War I and the early years of World War II.
During World War II, the base used a secret number for postal operations. It sent mail through the Fleet Post Office, Atlantic, in New York City, with the address: 115 FPO NY. The base also helped move merchant ships from New York City and Key West, Florida, to the Panama Canal and islands like Puerto Rico, Jamaica, and Trinidad and Tobago.
From 1953 to 1959, thousands of Cubans worked at the base daily. In mid-1958, vehicles were banned from the base, and workers had to walk through gates. Public Works Center buses were quickly used to transport workers to and from the gates.
The "Cactus Curtain" is a term for the line separating the naval base from Cuban-controlled land. It is named after the Iron Curtain in Europe, the Bamboo Curtain in Asia, and the Ice Curtain in the Bering Strait. After the Cuban Revolution, some Cubans sought safety on the base. In late 1961, Cuban troops planted an 8-mile (13 km) long, 10-foot (3 m) wide barrier of Opuntia cactus along the northeastern part of the base’s 17-mile (27 km) fence to stop people from escaping between the base and Cuba.
The curtain is part of a "no man's land" around the base. This area includes patrols, sandbag outposts, watchtowers, barbed wire fences, minefields, and cacti. Both U.S. and Cuban troops built and maintained these defenses to stop people from escaping or invading.
U.S. and Cuban forces placed about 55,000 anti-personnel and anti-tank landmines around the base’s perimeter, creating the second-largest minefield in the world and the largest in the Western Hemisphere. The U.S. initially laid the mines and posted signs stating they were "precautions," not "aggressive." Cuban troops later added their own mines, completing both sides’ minefields in 1961. Between 1961 and 1965, landmine explosions killed at least 10 people, including those injured in accidents or during late-night parties. In 1996, President Bill Clinton ordered the removal of U.S. mines, which were replaced with motion and sound sensors. The Cuban government has not removed its minefield outside the base.
During the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962, families of military personnel were evacuated from the base. Families were told to pack one suitcase per person, bring evacuation and immunization cards, tie pets in the yard, leave house keys on the dining table, and wait at their homes for buses. Dependents traveled to the airfield for flights to the U.S. or to ports for evacuation ships. After the crisis ended, families returned to the base in December 1962.
Since 1939, the base’s water was supplied by pipelines from the Yateras River, about 4.5 miles (7 km) northeast of the base. The U.S. government paid a fee for this water. In 1964, the cost was about $14,000 per month for about 2.5 million U.S. gallons (9 million liters) per day. In 1964, the Cuban government stopped the water flow. The base had 14 million U.S. gallons (50 million liters) stored and began strict water conservation measures. Initially, water was brought from Jamaica by barge, but the U.S. later moved a desalination plant from San Diego (Point Loma) to the base. When Cuba accused the U.S. of "stealing water," base commander John D. Bulkeley ordered the pipelines cut and removed. A 38-inch (97 cm) section of a 14-inch (36 cm) diameter pipe and a 20-inch (51 cm
Current operations
The military facility had over 8,500 U.S. sailors and Marines stationed there in 2011. It is the only U.S. military base located in a socialist country.
In 2005, the U.S. Navy completed a $12 million wind-power project at the base, building four 950 kilowatt wind turbines that are 275 feet tall (84 meters). These turbines helped reduce the need for diesel fuel to power the base’s main electricity generators. In 2006, the wind turbines saved about 650,000 gallons (2,500 cubic meters) of diesel fuel each year.
Access to the naval station is limited and requires approval from local authorities. The station commander gives the final approval. Because there are few places for visitors to stay, visitors must be sponsored by someone who has a place to live during their visit.
In addition to military personnel, the base employs many civilian workers. Many of these workers are from Jamaica and the Philippines and make up about 40% of the base’s population.
Major companies working at the base include Schuyler Line Navigation Company, which provides ocean transportation for supplies.
The base has two airfields: Leeward Point Field and McCalla Field. Leeward Point Field is the main airfield and has an 8,000-foot runway. It was built in 1943 and expanded in 1953. This airfield was used by Fleet Composite Squadron 10 (VC-10) until 1993. McCalla Field was built in 1931 and used until the 1970s. It was later used to hold Cuban and Haitian refugees in the 1990s. Today, McCalla Field is closed and no longer used for flying.
From the late 1900s to the 1990s, the base held Cuban and Haitian refugees who were rescued at sea. In the early 1990s, it held Haitian refugees after a military group removed their president. A court later ruled that the detention area was unconstitutional. The last Haitian refugees left in 1995.
After the 2001 invasion of Afghanistan, a part of the base was used to hold people suspected of being linked to terrorist groups like al-Qaeda and the Taliban. These detainees were not given prisoner-of-war status or charged with crimes but were called enemy combatants. They were held in Camp Delta, Camp Echo, Camp Iguana, and Camp X-Ray. The U.S. Supreme Court said these detainees have the right to due process under the Fifth Amendment. A court later said the Geneva Conventions applied to Taliban detainees but not to al-Qaeda members.
In 2006, three detainees at Guantanamo Bay took their own lives by hanging themselves with sheets and clothing. A study later said the military investigation did not fully address issues raised in the report.
In 2006, President George W. Bush said the CIA would transfer detainees to the Department of Defense for holding at Guantanamo Bay. At that time, only 10 detainees had been tried in military courts, but all cases were paused.
In 2009, President Barack Obama ordered the base to close within a year. This plan was canceled in 2010 when the Senate voted to keep the prison open. In 2011, Obama allowed indefinite detention of detainees, which became part of federal law in 2012.
In 2021, President Joe Biden said he wanted to close the facility before leaving office. He did not close it, but some detainees were released in 2021, 2022, and 2023. As of January 6, 2025, 15 detainees remain at Guantanamo Bay.
In 2023, a United Nations report said that detainees face ongoing cruel and inhuman treatment and that the detention center should be closed.
In early 2025, the Trump administration began sending undocumented migrants to the facility and said he would send the most dangerous criminals there. Many groups and individuals have sued the government, arguing that detainees do not have access to lawyers or legal protections.
Represented businesses
Article 3 of the lease states that "commercial or other enterprises" cannot be established. However, several well-known American food businesses have opened on the military base. Most of the restaurants located there are franchises owned and managed by the Department of the Navy. The money earned from these restaurants helps fund activities that improve the happiness, comfort, and free time of military personnel and their families. These restaurants are inside the base and cannot be entered by Cubans.
A Baskin-Robbins ice cream stand, which began operating in the 1980s, was among the first franchise businesses allowed on the base. In early 1986, the base opened its first and only McDonald's restaurant in Cuba. A Subway restaurant opened in 1987 but closed in 1994 when the Navy Department decided not to renew its agreement. In 2004, a restaurant that combined KFC and A&W was built at the bowling alley, and a Pizza Hut Express was added to the Windjammer Restaurant. There is also a cafe that sells Starbucks coffee, and a restaurant that combines KFC and Taco Bell.
Education and schooling
The Department of Defense Education Activity offers education to children of military personnel through two schools. Both schools are named after Rear Admiral William Thomas Sampson. W.T. Sampson Elementary School teaches students in kindergarten through fifth grade, and W.T. Sampson High School teaches students in sixth through twelfth grade. The Villamar Child Development Center provides daycare for children aged six weeks to five years. Military and Family Readiness operates a Youth Center that offers activities for children.
Some former students of Guantánamo have shared their experiences with the Guantánamo Public Memory Project. A 2013 documentary titled Guantanamo Circus, directed by Christina Linhardt and Michael Rose, shows daily life at Guantánamo through the perspectives of circus performers who visit the base. The project uses this documentary as a reference.
Climate
The base receives about 24 inches (610 mm) of rainfall each year and is known as a semi-arid tropical savanna. The average high temperature at the base during the year is 88.2°F (31.2°C), and the average low temperature is 72.5°F (22.5°C).