Fort Hood had long been a concentration of American armored cavalry warfare that could take on entire nations by itself if unleashed. The budget issues and desertions hampered their ability to live up to that reputation during the Second Great Depression, but they mobilized what they could safely deploy with their reduced personnel. That was more than enough to make them the heart of the Texas armored cavalry that crossed the old border into Mexico to deal with the drug cartels. They were not a good occupation force, as armored units rarely are, but Texas did not send them to Mexico to occupy terrain. Their tanks, mechs, and choppers had the singular mission of bringing maximum destruction to any Drug Lord compound, caravan, or other targets of interest related to them. They excelled at that mission, and many historians credit their involvement as one of the reasons the Drug Wars came to such a swift and successful conclusion. And the fact that they left, rather than attempting to occupy Mexican towns and cities, greatly improved relations between Texas and their southern neighbors. That would be important in the coming years.