Troop Deployment to Latin America
A battalion of 600 soldiers from Fort Drum in New York is now deploying to Latin America.
This unit belongs to the 10th Mountain Division and is part of the Pentagon’s efforts to address drug trafficking within the region, according to a report by the New York Times. The troops will start their mission with training at a new jungle warfare facility in Panama before moving on to train allied forces in Colombia and Honduras.
Additionally, they might assist special operations forces who are advising local militaries on conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers. Moreover, several hundred other soldiers from the same division will be involved in establishing a new command center in Miami, as shared by a military source.
When approached for confirmation about the troop movements, media relations officer Steven McLoud from the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) stated that they do not provide specifics concerning personnel deployment or operational movements due to security considerations.
In the past few months, the Pentagon has notably intensified its actions against drug cartels in the Western Hemisphere. For instance, American special forces collaborated with Ecuadorian authorities to dismantle a drug trafficking organization that had connections to Mexican cartels on September 24. Moreover, on October 2, 500 troops were sent to the Rio Grande Valley at the United States-Mexico border. Recently, also, Reaper drones that were previously engaged in targeting terrorists in Africa have been redeployed to South America.
Historically, the U.S. military hasn’t focused much on Latin America, while China has expanded its economic influence through initiatives like the Belt and Road Initiative, leading to a rise in transnational organized crime.
General Joseph A. Ryan, the leader of the Army’s Western Hemisphere Command, indicated at a recent meeting in Washington, D.C., that the U.S. has lost economic dominance in the region to a rival. He expressed that there’s a need to reclaim various forms of territory—whether maritime, land, or even cognitive—that have been relinquished over time.
