US Army Deploys Hundreds to Latin America for Anti-Drug Operations
Approximately 600 soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division will participate in training and joint exercises as part of an expanded campaign against drug-trafficking networks.
The U.S. military is deploying roughly 600 soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division to Latin America for training and joint exercises with regional forces. This deployment is part of an expanded campaign by the Trump administration targeting drug-trafficking networks.
Troops are expected to initially deploy to Panama for training at a new jungle facility. Subsequent training operations are planned with local forces in Colombia and Honduras. The soldiers will be stationed under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which will determine their final deployment locations. These troops may also support U.S. special operations personnel who are advising local militaries conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers.
In a separate but related effort, several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are also slated to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami. This initiative is part of ongoing Pentagon operations targeting suspected drug traffickers across Latin America and the Caribbean.
SOUTHCOM Commander Gen. Francis Donovan has previously indicated that land-based operations against trafficking networks are under consideration. "Do I see land strikes as options? Yes. We want all options at the table," Donovan stated in an interview with The Wall Street Journal. He further elaborated that such actions could include strikes, arrests, or the takedown of safe houses, as well as routine measures like increased use of cargo scanners at border checkpoints. The overarching goal, according to Donovan, is to create "total systemic friction" for cartels.
The Trump administration has been pursuing agreements with allied nations to potentially expand military operations against trafficking networks onto land in multiple Latin American countries. In August, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth announced that Colombia, Guatemala, and Honduras had agreed to permit joint U.S. military operations against criminal groups within their borders, though Guatemala has since denied reaching such an agreement.