The Pentagon is expanding its military presence in Latin America, sending soldiers for training and possible support duties as Washington presses regional governments to intensify operations against drug cartels.

The New York Times reported that troops from the 10th Mountain Division had begun arriving in Panama, drawing from a battalion of about 600 soldiers. Training is also planned in Colombia and Honduras. The U.S. Embassy in Panama disputed reports of a 600-troop deployment, saying 120 soldiers attended a two-week course before returning to their units.

Their potential assignments extend beyond exercises, with soldiers likely to be tasked with the protection of American helicopters or helping Special Operations personnel facing trouble while advising regional forces. The reporting does not establish that arriving troops will conduct raids themselves.

Several hundred soldiers are also expected to staff a command in Miami overseeing Western Hemisphere operations.

The expansion follows dozens of American strikes against suspected drug vessels. Southern Command chief General Francis Donovan has identified land strikes as an option, alongside arrests, safe house operations, and stronger border inspections. No decision authorizing those strikes was reported.

Military support provides regional forces with capabilities they lack when confronting powerful cartels, particularly in the form of intelligence, mobility, and protection. But the strategic value depends on whether operations weaken trafficking networks durably, rather than merely forcing them to change routes or replace personnel.

Soldiers guarding helicopters or rescuing advisers can find themselves fighting regardless of how their mission was described at departure. Washington needs to decide beforehand what happens after Americans come under fire, when pressure to reinforce or retaliate could turn a support operation into a combat commitment.

Local forces bring knowledge of terrain and trafficking networks that American firepower cannot supply. However, any lasting gains will require police who can resist bribery, prosecutors who can secure convictions, and investigators who can follow cartel money. Killing gunmen achieves less if the organization can readily recruit their replacements.

Striking targets ashore will require reliable intelligence and an emphasis on civilian protection, as well as clear authority to act. Tangible success will be measured in a noticeable drop in trafficking, as well as how much harder trafficking itself becomes moving forward with an increased military presence.

The idea, and hope, is that an increased military presence in Latin America will cut down the availability of dangerous drugs in U.S. communities, as well as reduce both the profits financing these criminal networks and the violence surrounding their distribution.

While reducing supply would be valuable, American demand will ultimately give traffickers a reason to rebuild. Enforcement abroad must therefore be judged alongside efforts at home to prevent addiction and disrupt distribution. The public deserves evidence of safer communities, not simply a longer list of military operations conducted in its name.