Hegseth ramps up US troops in Panama as Pentagon expands war on drug cartels

The Pentagon is sending nearly 200 Army soldiers from Fort Drum, New York, to Panama for jungle warfare training as Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth expands the U.S. military's war against drug cartels in Latin America. The deployment adds to a growing U.S. troop presence in the region, part of a broader counter-narcotics push.