United States Naval Station Guantanamo Bay |
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Guantánamo Bay, Cuba | |
Aerial view of McCalla Field, Guantanamo Bay (looking north-east)
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Type | Military base |
Site information | |
Controlled by | United States Navy |
Site history | |
Built | 1898 |
In use | 1898–present |
Battles/wars | Battle of Guantánamo Bay |
Garrison information | |
Current commander |
Captain David Culpepper, USN |
Agreement for the lease to the United States of lands in Cuba for coaling and naval stations | |
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Signed | 16 February 1903 | ; 23 February 1903
Location | Havana; Washington |
Effective | 23 February 1903 |
Signatories | |
Citations | TS 418; 6 Bevans 1113 |
Agreement providing conditions for the lease of coaling or naval stations | |
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Signed | 2 July 1903 |
Location | Havana |
Effective | 6 October 1903 |
Signatories | |
Citations | TS 426; 6 Bevans 1120 |
Coordinates: 19°54′N 75°9′W / 19.900°N 75.150°W
Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO because of the airfield designation code or Gitmo because of the common pronunciation of this code by the U.S. military) is a United States military base located on 45 square miles (120 km2) of land and water at Guantánamo Bay, Cuba, which the U.S. leased for use as a coaling and naval station in 1903 for $2,000 in gold per year until 1934, when the payment was set to match the value in gold in dollars; in 1974, the yearly lease was set to $4,085. The base is on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It is the oldest overseas U.S. Naval Base. Since the Cuban Revolution of 1959, the Cuban government has consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil and called it illegal under international law, alleging that the base was imposed on Cuba by force. At the United Nations Human Rights Council in 2013, Cuba's Foreign Minister demanded the U.S. return the base and the "usurped territory", which the Cuban government considers to be occupied since the U.S. invasion of Cuba during the Spanish–American War in 1898.