Joint Task Force-Bravo (JTF-Bravo) led a two-day tabletop exercise, dubbed Jaguar Sentinel, with Panamanian emergency response personnel. Held June 25-26 at the headquarters of the Civil Protection National System (SINAPROC) in the Panama Pacifico Airport Complex, the exercise aimed to bolster regional disaster preparedness.
SINAPROC, Panama’s national disaster management agency, is responsible for planning, supervising, and organizing policies and actions related to the prevention of risks from natural and complex disasters.
“SINAPROC collects real-time data from provinces throughout Panama to include risk assessments, extent of damage and images, to forecast and determine aid needed in the event of a natural disaster,” said José Marrone, director of SINAPROC National Emergency Operations Center.
SINAPROC facilities maintain provisions like food, hygiene kits, kitchen items, mattresses, and baby items for 3,000 to 5,000 people for up to a week, in addition to providing search and rescue services and vulnerability assessments.
A collaborative approach to crisis management
Jaguar Sentinel brings together crisis management personnel from JTF-Bravo who travel across Central America to share best practices in emergency response and assess partner nation capabilities to respond to disasters. The Panama exercise included a diverse team of participants: Civil Affairs soldiers based in Panama, members of the Missouri National Guard, embassy liaisons, U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) J7/9-2 Partner Integration Division (PID), pilots from USNS Comfort, and U.S. Coast Guard partners.
“Understanding where everyone is coming from and their capabilities sets us up to collectively respond should a natural disaster happen in the region,” said U.S. Army Major Frank Glutting, deputy director of Civil-Military Operations (J9), JTF-Bravo.
The two-day exercise began with capability briefings from SINAPROC, the Panama Red Cross, and JTF-Bravo subject matter experts, including engineers, medical staff, aviation personnel, logistics specialists, and public affairs officers. This iteration of Jaguar Sentinel was the first to be conducted in conjunction with U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet’s Continuing Promise mission, enhancing cross-command coordination and efficiency with SOUTHCOM forces.
Bridging gaps through practical scenarios
A major flooding response practical exercise took place on the second day, where members broke into groups to address scenario-specific questions. Groups prioritized response efforts based on provided information and identify limitations. Discussions covered crucial topics like the national alert process, SINAPROC’s activation protocols during a disaster, locations of aid warehouses, reasonable response times, and procedures for requesting JTF-Bravo support through the U.S. Embassy.
“The agencies who attend these exercises don’t often interact to train and practice together which can lead to confusion on responsibilities or not fully understanding one another’s resources and capacity to respond during a crisis,” said Maj. Glutting. “Jaguar Sentinel helps bridge operational and knowledge gaps which hopefully generates recurring cross-collaboration exercises and information sharing.”
Building relationships
Jaguar Sentinel is conducted monthly in various Central American countries, having recently visited the Dominican Republic for the first time. Each scenario presents real environmental concerns and challenges specific to the host nation, providing valuable insights across a wide range of experts.
“These exercises are important for JTF-Bravo personnel and our host country emergency responders for several reasons such as establishing and maintaining working relationships with regional partners and learning from each other,” said U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel Achim Biller, director, Civil-Military Operations (J9), JTF-Bravo. “Secondary benefits include enabling our key personnel from across JTF-Bravo to have these face-to-face connections and conversations with our partners since there is so much turnover for us, prior to an incident occurring.”
“It was great to have our Joint Task Force-Bravo partners visiting us in Panama for Jaguar Sentinel,” expressed Marrone. “This exercise strengthens diplomatic relations and fosters cooperation. We’ve enjoyed learning from each other’s specific experiences and challenges enhancing our overall disaster management capabilities.”
