U.S. Deploys 600 Troops to Latin America to Combat Cartels
U.S. military sends 600 troops to Latin America as part of counter-drug trafficking efforts.
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U.S. military has deployed a 600-troop battalion from Fort Drum, New York, to Latin America as part of increased efforts to combat drug trafficking in the Western Hemisphere. The 10th Mountain Division’s battalion will begin training at a new jungle warfare facility in Panama before assisting partner forces in Colombia and Honduras, according to the New York Times.
Supporting Counter-Cartel Operations
The troops may also assist special operations forces in advising militaries conducting raids against suspected drug traffickers. In addition to this deployment, several hundred soldiers from the 10th Mountain Division will help staff a new command center for the Western Hemisphere in Miami, as reported by an anonymous military official.
The U.S. is deploying several hundred troops from the 10th Mountain Division to Latin America as the Pentagon expands its campaign against drug cartels. A 600-soldier battalion has begun deploying to Panama, with troops also expected to train in Colombia and Honduras and potentially support special operations against traffickers. The Pentagon has also moved MQ-9 Reaper drones to Colombia and Ecuador, while U.S. commanders are planning to expand strikes from boats to land targets. Source: NYT
Over the past several months, the Pentagon has significantly increased its counter-cartel actions in the region. American special forces partnered with Ecuadorian law enforcement to dismantle a drug trafficking ring linked to Mexican cartels on September 24. Five hundred troops were deployed to the Rio Grande Valley on the U.S.-Mexico border on October 2. Most recently, Reaper drones previously used to target jihadi terrorists were redeployed from Africa to South America.
Strategic Shift in U.S. Military Focus
For decades, Latin America has not been a primary focus of the U.S. military. However, with China’s economic dominance through the Belt and Road Initiative and the rise of transnational organized crime, the U.S. has shifted its strategy to reassert influence in the region.
“We have ceded economic dominance in the region to an adversary, and that is a fact … we are fighting now to retake terrain — maritime and land, human terrain, cognitive terrain — in many cases that we’ve given up previously,” General Joseph A. Ryan, leader of the Army’s Western Hemisphere Command, said at the Association of the United States Army’s annual meeting in Washington, D.C.
Operational Secrecy and Command Confirmation
“We do not disclose details or comment on U.S. personnel deployment or operational movements due to operational security concerns,” said Steven McLoud, a media relations officer for the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), when asked for confirmation of the deployment.
Source: Daily Caller
