The United States and Panama recently conducted a joint "crisis response exercise" at the U.S. Embassy in Panama City. The drill involved Navy SEALs, Green Berets, embassy staff, and Panamanian special forces. The primary objective was to rehearse securing a diplomatic facility, extracting personnel, and neutralizing threats under compressed timelines. Given Panama's strategic importance as the steward of the Panama Canal, the exercise underscores the country's pivotal role in U.S. hemispheric planning. Any threat to U.S. diplomatic infrastructure or regional partners in Panama could trigger a rapid, coordinated military response. This drill directly addressed that contingency. "Training in Panama delivers that mission realism in a forward-deployed setting that is operationally relevant and tactically irreplaceable," according to military reports. Meanwhile, Panama has made clear that it cannot accept military bases or defense sites on its territory, a statement made in response to suggestions from U.S. officials about reintroducing a military presence.
