Troops from the United States and Panama continue their participation this Friday in the first joint exercises of 2026 to learn the keys to military operations in the jungle, a daily experience for Panama's security forces who want to leverage the less accustomed American soldiers.
The training, concluding on February 20, takes place at the Naval Base Cristóbal Colón, located in Sherman in the province of Colón (Caribbean), and involves survival, tactics, and jungle patrol training, including classes on building shelters and making fire, among others. It involves agents from the National Aeronaval Service (Senan), the National Border Service (Senatront), and the National Police (PN) of Panama, mixed with soldiers from various U.S. states.
«This exercise is a learning experience in the techniques needed to survive in the jungle, to later put them into practice when conducting patrols,» stated to journalists Sergeant Major Pedro Chávez, brigade instructor of the U.S.-Panama Joint Cooperation Security Group.
Chávez indicated that in this jungle training, in addition to Panamanians, soldiers from different U.S. states are attending who must go through this preparation to be certified as instructors, which he described as «somewhat difficult to meet» given the intricate and rugged nature of the Panamanian jungle.
«One runs into that jungle (...), and if not prepared, one doesn't come out, and if one comes out, it won't be complete,» affirmed the American instructor, and in this sense, he emphasized that in this exercise «we are going to learn much more from the Panamanians because they work in that (the jungle) every day».
For his part, Major Ariel Rosas, commander of the Infantry of Panama's National Aeronaval Service, detailed to EFE that three such trainings were held in 2025, while this is the first one this year, focusing on jungle training.
«This current program ends on February 20 of this month, and similarly for future trainings, we have four scheduled for 2026,» indicated Rosas.
The new training program in this Central American country is carried out as part of bilateral security cooperation «with strict respect for national sovereignty,» the Government of Panama has stated.
According to a press release from Panama's Ministry of Public Security, these military exercises involve 50 U.S. Marines and 61 specialized units from Panama's National Aeronaval Service, National Police, and National Border Service.
