Mexican Senate Greenlights 139 US Troops for Chihuahua Training Drills
The troops will take part in exercises at the Santa Gertrudis military base from September 20 to 30. Lawmakers said the drills are intended to strengthen military capabilities and deepen cooperation between the two nations.
The US contingent, drawn from the Army's 101st Airborne Division, will enter Mexican territory armed and aboard a US Air Force aircraft. The request was submitted by Mexican President Claudia Sheinbaum under an urgent procedure and passed with 75 votes in favor — marking the fourth such authorization this year and the largest US military contingent approved in 2026.
The exercises arrive amid expanding security cooperation between Mexico and the US, particularly around counter-narcotics and organized crime efforts. Mexican authorities have consistently emphasized that cooperation with Washington must respect national sovereignty, noting that US forces are barred from conducting unilateral operations on Mexican soil without government authorization.
Sheinbaum has repeatedly stated that Mexico remains open to security cooperation with the United States while firmly rejecting any form of unilateral intervention. Her administration has worked to deepen coordination on drug trafficking and organized crime through formal agreements between Mexican and US security agencies.
The training exercises will be held roughly 520 kilometers (323 miles) south of the US-Mexico border. The deployment follows earlier tensions this year over the presence of US intelligence personnel in Chihuahua — a reminder of how sensitive foreign security operations remain in Mexico. Despite that friction, the two countries have continued broadening cooperation across military training, intelligence sharing, and border security.
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