Guantanamo Bay Naval Base

Naval Station Guantanamo Bay
Leeward Point Field
Guantánamo Bay in Cuba
Aerial view of Bulkeley Hall, the headquarters and administration building at Guantanamo Bay Naval Base
NS Guantanamo Bay Location of Guantanamo Bay Naval Base in Cuba
Coordinates	19°55′03″N 75°09′36″W / 19.91750°N 75.16000°W / 19.91750; -75.16000
Type	United States military base
Site information
Owner	Government of Cuba (de jure) U.S. federal government (de facto)
Operator	United States Navy
Controlled by	Navy Region Southeast
Condition	Operational
Website	cnrse.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NS-Guantanamo-Bay/
Site history
Built	1903 (1903)
In use	1903 – present
Garrison information
Current commander	Captain Samuel White
Garrison	Joint Task Force Guantanamo
Airfield information
Identifiers	IATA: NBW, ICAO: MUGM, WMO: 783670
Elevation	17 meters (56 ft) AMSL
Runways Direction Length and surface 10/28 2,438 meters (7,999 ft) Asphalt

Guantanamo Bay Naval Base (Spanish: Base Naval de la Bahía de Guantánamo), officially known as Naval Station Guantanamo Bay or NSGB, (also called GTMO, pronounced Gitmo /ˈɡɪtmoʊ/ GIT-moh as jargon by members of the U.S. military^[1]) is a United States military base located on 45 square miles (117 km²) of land and water^[2] on the shore of Guantánamo Bay at the southeastern end of Cuba. It has been leased to the United States with no end date since 1903 as a coaling station and naval base, making it the oldest overseas U.S. naval base.^[3] The lease was $2,000 in gold per year until 1934, when the payment was set to match the value of gold in dollars;^[4] in 1974, the yearly lease was set to $4,085.^{[5][failed verification]}

Since taking power in 1959, the Cuban communist government has consistently protested against the U.S. presence on Cuban soil, arguing that the base "was imposed on Cuba by force" and is "illegal under international law." Since 2002, the naval base has contained a military prison, for alleged unlawful combatants captured in Afghanistan, Iraq, and other places during the War on Terror. Cases of alleged torture of prisoners^[6] by the U.S. military, and their denial of protection under the Geneva Conventions, have been criticized.^[7][8]

The 1903 lease has no fixed expiration date;^[9] as such, it can only be ended if the US Navy decided to abandon the area or both countries agreed mutually to end the lease.