The War On Drug Cartels Is Fake

The Pentagon is putting boots on the ground in Latin America, but not for the reasons you think

DORAL, FLORIDA - MARCH 07: U.S. President Donald Trump at the start of the Shield of the Americas Summit, a gathering with heads of state and government officials from 12 countries in the Americas at the Trump National Doral Golf Club on March 7, 2026, in Doral, Florida. The White House describes the gathering as a landmark summit aimed at reshaping regional alliances and reinforcing U.S. influence in the Western Hemisphere. (Photo by Roberto Schmidt/Getty Images. Color-edited by Daily Caller)

Very quietly, the United States is building up its troop presence in Latin America. As Western media focuses on the Russia-Ukraine war, the Iran War, and the Strait of Hormuz, Washington is moving new chess pieces into the Southern Hemisphere.

Pentagon officials told The New York Times earlier in October that the military was deploying a 600-soldier battalion into a jungle facility in Panama. Eventually, the officials said, the troops will train with forces in Colombia and Honduras. They might also help the U.S. Special Operations forces currently advising Latin American militaries, themselves conducting raids against alleged drug traffickers.

But the real reason Washington is building up its military footprint in Latin America has little to do with stemming the flow of illegal drugs from south to north. Another major regional development made a Bloomberg headline a few days ago. It confirms that Uncle Sam’s ambitions are far, far greater than simply kicking in the teeth of some low-level narco thugs.