A military commander said they will likely expand to land strikes, with the goal of putting “total systemic friction” on the cartels.
By Catholics for Catholics
The Trump administration is extending its war on drugs in Latin America as it deploys light infantry Army troops to Latin America, with missions that could include supporting military advisers and training with regional forces, according to a report by the New York Times.
According to a story by the Daily Wire, U.S. military officials told The Times that troops from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, had started deploying in Panama for jungle training. The first arriving troops belong to a battalion of about 600 soldiers, with training also planned in Colombia and Honduras.
Nevertheless, the U.S. Embassy in Panama denied reports that 600 troops were deploying to the country. According to regional reporting, the embassy said 120 soldiers from the division were taking part in a two-week course and would return to their home units after the military exercises.
But the contrasting accounts leave unanswered how the training force is linked to the broader deployment described by the Times.
In addition to military exercises, the Times reported that some 10th Mountain soldiers could guard American helicopters or work with U.S. Special Operations personnel if they run into trouble while advising local militaries. Those partner forces conduct raids against suspected drug traffickers. The report does not establish that the newly deployed soldiers will carry out raids themselves.
The growing military presence in Latin America follows Washington’s initiative for regional governments to strengthen operations against cartels and cooperate more closely with American forces.
Pete Hegseth, the Secretary of War, has championed that effort through the America’s Counter Cartel Coalition. At an August gathering in Panama, he described its motto: “We do bad things to bad people.”
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