Pentagon sends hundreds of Army troops to Latin America for training as drug-trafficking campaign expands

The U.S. military is deploying several hundred Army soldiers to Latin America for training and joint exercises with regional forces as the Trump administration expands its campaign against drug-trafficking networks, Fox News confirmed.

The deployment involves soldiers from the Army's 10th Mountain Division based at Fort Drum, New York, with the first troops from a roughly 600-soldier battalion expected to deploy to Panama, according to The New York Times, which first reported the deployment.

A senior U.S. official confirmed to Fox News that the troops are being forward-staged under U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), which will determine where they are ultimately deployed.

According to The Times, the troops will first deploy to a new jungle training facility in Panama before eventually training with local forces in Colombia and Honduras.

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U.S. Marine Corps Lt. Gen. Francis L. Donovan testifies during a Senate Committee on Armed Services hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC, on Jan. 15, 2026. (Brendan SMIALOWSKI / AFP via Getty Images)

The troops could also support U.S. special operations personnel who are advising local militaries conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers, the outlet reported.

Separately, several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division are expected to help staff a new Western Hemisphere military command based in Miami.

The deployment comes as the Pentagon continues military operations targeting suspected drug traffickers across Latin America and the Caribbean.

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Since the campaign began more than a year ago, U.S. forces have conducted dozens of strikes, with more than 235 people killed.

Gen. Francis Donovan, commander of SOUTHCOM, previously said the military was considering operations against trafficking networks on land.

"Do I see land strikes as options? Yes. We want all options at the table," Donovan said in an interview with The Wall Street Journal.

"Those actions might be strikes, arrests, or the takedown of a safe house," he continued. "It could even be something as routine as increasing the use of cargo scanners at border checkpoints."

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Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth unveils Operation Southern Spear to dismantle narco-terror networks across Latin America. (Jeon Heon-Kyun - Pool/Getty Images)

Donovan added that the goal was to create "total systemic friction" for the cartels.

The Trump administration has pursued agreements with allied nations that could allow it to expand military operations against trafficking networks onto land in multiple Latin American countries.

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Secretary of War Pete Hegseth previously said during a visit to Panama in August that Colombia, Guatemala and Honduras had agreed to allow the U.S. to carry out joint military operations against criminal groups within their borders, although Guatemala denied reaching such an agreement.