Fort Drum soldiers reported headed to Latin America for military mission

About 600 soldiers from Fort Drum’s 10th Mountain Division are reported to be deploying to Latin America as part of a U.S. military campaign against drug trafficking. The deployment is expected to begin with jungle training in Panama, although the U.S. Embassy in Panama said the 600-soldier figure is false and that 120 soldiers are taking part in a two-week course there at Panama’s invitation.

The embassy said the course is scheduled to end Oct. 25, after which the soldiers will return to Fort Drum. Other reports say 10th Mountain Division soldiers are expected to train with military forces from Colombia and Honduras, assist U.S. special operations troops and take part in a Southern Vanguard exercise later this month. The exercise’s location is disputed: some reports place it in Colombia, while the Army and the U.S. Embassy in Panama place it in Peru.

Several hundred additional Fort Drum soldiers are reported to be helping operate a new Army command for Western Hemisphere operations in Miami. A senior U.S. official said the troops are being forward-staged under U.S. Southern Command, which will determine their final locations. Southern Command has declined to provide deployment details, citing operational security.

The 10th Mountain Division is a light infantry division based at Fort Drum. The reported deployments would affect soldiers and families connected to the Jefferson County installation. The Army’s official Southern Vanguard 2026 announcement describes the exercise as taking place in Peru, while U.S. Southern Command has also published information about the exercise.