Pentagon Sends 600 Army Troops to Latin America
By @sharedot · · 8 pages
- World
- Latin America
- US Military
- Drug Trafficking
Pentagon sends ~600 10th Mountain Division troops to Panama for training as narco-trafficking campaign expands.
What happened: a 600-soldier battalion heads south
The Pentagon is deploying several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America for training and joint exercises with regional forces, Fox News confirmed.
The troops come from the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York, and the New York Times, which first reported the move, says the first soldiers from a roughly 600-soldier battalion are expected to deploy to Panama.
A senior U.S. official told Fox News the troops are being forward-staged under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which will decide where they ultimately go.
Why it is a step change, not a routine exercise
This deployment marks a shift from offshore strikes to building ground-level capacity inside the region.
According to the New York Times, as reported by Fox News, the troops will first go to a new jungle training facility in Panama before eventually training with local forces in Colombia and Honduras.
Fox News reports they could also support U.S. special operations personnel who are advising local militaries conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers.
Separately, several hundred 10th Mountain Division soldiers are expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami.
The evidence: a year of strikes and mounting force
The deployment sits alongside an expanding military campaign.
Fox News reports that since the campaign began more than a year ago, U.S. forces have conducted dozens of strikes against suspected drug-trafficking vessels, killing more than 235 people, and SOUTHCOM has directed USS Fort Lauderdale and USS Billings to Venezuela to support State Department-led relief operations there.
Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth earlier unveiled Operation Southern Spear to dismantle narco-terror networks across Latin America. Newser also reported the Pentagon's plan to deploy 600 troops to the region.
The stakes: land operations move closer
The clearest signal of where this is heading came from SOUTHCOM's commander. Gen.
Francis Donovan told the Wall Street Journal that land strikes are on the table: "Do I see land strikes as options? Yes. We want all options at the table."
He said possible actions could range from strikes, arrests, or the takedown of a safe house to something as routine as increased cargo scanners at border checkpoints, with the aim of creating "total systemic friction" for the cartels.
The regional green light — and denials
The Pentagon's expanding role depends on host-nation consent.
Fox News reports that Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during an August visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow U.S. joint military operations against criminal groups within their borders — though Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement.
The administration has also pursued agreements with allied nations that could let it expand military operations onto land in multiple Latin American countries, and Fox News reported the Trump administration's list of U.S.-designated 'foreign terrorist' groups in the region has grown to 21.
What comes next
With troops staging through Panama and the Miami-based Western Hemisphere command taking shape, the campaign against trafficking networks looks set to deepen beyond maritime interdiction.
The first 10th Mountain Division soldiers are expected to reach the new Panama jungle training facility, with exercises in Colombia and Honduras to follow, according to the New York Times reporting cited by Fox News.