Army Troops Head to Panama as US Targets Cartels
Andrew Powell · Oct 15, 2026 · 2 min read
The U.S. military is sending several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America for training and joint exercises as the Trump administration increases pressure on drug-trafficking organizations across the region.
The deployment includes soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York, per Fox News.
The New York Times first reported that an estimated 600-soldier battalion is expected to begin deploying to Panama.
A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the troops are being positioned forward under U.S. Southern Command, which will determine their eventual assignments.
The soldiers are expected to begin at a new jungle training facility in Panama before participating in exercises with military forces in Colombia and Honduras, according to The Times.
Some of the troops could also assist U.S. special operations personnel working with local militaries. Those forces have been advising regional units involved in raids targeting suspected drug traffickers.
Another group of several hundred 10th Mountain Division soldiers is expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami.
The troop movements come as U.S. forces continue operations against suspected drug-trafficking networks in Latin America and the Caribbean. SOUTHCOM said it has directed the USS Fort Lauderdale and USS Billings to Venezuela to support U.S. government relief operations led by the State Department.
The broader military campaign has included dozens of strikes over more than a year, with more than 235 people reported killed.
SOUTHCOM commander Gen. Francis Donovan has previously said military action against trafficking groups could expand beyond maritime operations and include targets on land.
"Do I see land strikes as options? Yes. We want all options at the table," Donovan told The Wall Street Journal.
Donovan said potential actions could range from strikes and arrests to taking down safe houses. He also pointed to increased use of cargo scanners at border crossings as another possible tool against trafficking organizations.
The Trump administration has also pursued agreements with countries in the region that could facilitate joint military operations against criminal groups.
Secretary of War Pete Hegseth said during an August visit to Panama that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to permit U.S. joint operations against criminal organizations within their borders. Guatemala, however, disputed that characterization and denied reaching such an agreement.
The latest deployments signal a broader U.S. military presence in the Western Hemisphere as American officials continue weighing ways to disrupt trafficking networks and work with regional security forces.