Cuba and Venezuela, with support from Russia and China, operate a sophisticated electronic intelligence network that monitors US military activity across the Caribbean, Militarist Telegram channel reports.

Western analysts note that, aside from demonstrations of Su-30MK2V fighters and S-300V4 surface-to-air missiles, Venezuela's real intelligence capabilities remain largely unseen. However, their stations for signal interception, radar, and reconnaissance -- supported by Moscow and Beijing -- track US movements in the Caribbean Sea.

The core of Cuba's system centers on Lourdes, near Havana, and Behucal, south of the capital. These stations, legacy installations from Soviet cooperation, hosted the continent's most powerful electronic interception infrastructure for decades. From 1964 to 2002, Lourdes was the largest Soviet ELINT station outside the USSR, intercepting US diplomatic, naval, and satellite communications. Its official closure did not end operations, with Behucal modernizing the functions with Russian and more recently Chinese assistance.

At first glance, the complexes appear unremarkable, with antenna fields, radomes, and nondescript buildings. Their strength lies in spectrum density and complex interception chains. Large parabolic antennas, sometimes concealed, monitor geostationary satellites and collect civilian and military signals. Surrounding directional antennas continuously monitor electromagnetic activity across the region, from maritime communications to airborne transmissions. The system triangulates emissions and identifies sources over thousands of kilometers, funneling data to automated centers in Havana for correlation and analysis.

In Caracas, the National Intelligence Service (SEBIN) and the Directorate General of Military Counterintelligence (DGCIM) handle collected intelligence. Both agencies operate under the informal guidance of Cuban advisors with access to their headquarters, ensuring operational alignment and loyalty of Venezuelan forces.

China supplies Venezuela with long-range radars -- JYL-1, JYL-27A/YLC-18, and possibly YLC-8B -- capable of detecting low-observable and low-altitude flights. Integrated into the Air-Space Defense Network (SINDA), these systems merge Chinese and Russian data. Some radar feeds are shared with Havana, granting Cuban analysts a broader view of regional airspace.