The Lourdes SIGINT (Signals Intelligence) facility, located near Havana Cuba, is the largest facility of its kind operated by the Russian Foreign Intelligence Service or FIS, outside of Russia. Located less than 100 miles from Key West, the facility covers 28 square miles. Construction began in July of 1962, and operations at the facility continue to this day. At its peak during the Cold War, the facility was staffed by over 1,500 KGB, GRU, Cuban DGI, and Eastern Block technicians, engineers and intelligence operatives. In 2000, it was reported that China signed an agreement with the Cuban government to share use of the facility for its own intelligence agency. In July 2003, the Voice of America condemned Cuba for allegedly jamming US international broadcasts to Iran that coincided with the annual student protests associated with the 18th of Tir.
