U.S. Marines with 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion (2nd CEB) conducted bilateral training alongside Panamanian security forces during Panamanian Partnership 26-3A, January 10-February 26. The purpose of the partnership and training was to reinforce readiness and interoperability through combined training in dense jungle terrain and austere range environments.
The 45-day training featured four different courses hosted by 2nd CEB alongside the Joint Security Cooperation Group-Panama: a Provisional Infantry course, a Basic Engineer’s course, a Radio Operators course, and a Jungle Operations Training course. Throughout the instruction periods, U.S. Marines, U.S. Army soldiers, and Panamanian partners executed small-unit training designed to improve coordination, communication, and shared execution in a combined training environment.
“Panamanian Partnership is a bilateral training event designed to strengthen combat readiness while building professional trust with our Panamanian partners,” said U.S. Marine Corps First Sergeant Lonnie D. Stowers, the senior enlisted leader of Charlie Company, 2nd Combat Engineer Battalion, 2nd Marine Division. “At its core, it’s about Marines sharpening their skills and improving how we operate together as a combined force.”
U.S. Marines executed live-fire fire team attack ranges and maneuver iterations alongside Panamanian forces, placing an emphasis on small-unit leadership and disciplined execution.
U.S. Marine Corps First Lieutenant Paul Brown, the executive officer of Charlie Company, 2nd CEB, and the Marine Detachment officer in charge of Panamanian Partnership 26-3A, said the training reinforced foundational leadership principles under challenging conditions.
“I think it makes me value how much emphasis we put on the small-unit leader and the Marine Corps’ emphasis on decentralized command,” said 1st Lt. Brown.
For combat engineers, the training focused on applying core engineer tasks while operating alongside partner forces. U.S. Marine Corps Corporal Thomas J. Timberlake Jr., a squad leader with 2nd CEB, said the event allowed Marines to instruct and execute across a range of engineering and tactical skill sets.
“In general, we’ve been hitting basic engineering, basic demolitions, advanced demolitions and expedient demolitions,” said Cpl. Timberlake. “We also have a lot of route clearance down here to assess what to do in the event that we come across different types of explosives and mines, as well as practicing urban demolitions.”
Cpl. Timberlake noted that training alongside Panamanian forces highlighted similarities in tactics while requiring adaptation in instruction and communication.
“When we actually got to the tactics portion of things, such as clearing rooms and open-field tactics, that’s when we really started to see that their methods are very similar to what we do,” said Cpl. Timberlake.
From Panama’s perspective, First Lieutenant Jezith Ramos, a foreign liaison officer for Panama’s National Air and Naval Service, said the joint training supports a shared understanding between the two nations’ forces.
“Training alongside U.S. Marines helps unify how we plan and conduct operations, both in rural and urban environments, which facilitates joint operations between our forces,” said 1st Lt. Ramos.
As training progressed in dense terrain, Marines adjusted how they maneuvered and communicated under limited visibility, reinforcing adaptability and discipline.
“You don’t build interoperability during a crisis, you build it through repetition, shared hardship and trust,” said 1st Sgt. Stowers. “And trust starts with professionalism.”
Panamanian Partnership 26-3A concluded with U.S. Marines and Panamanian security forces completing combined training iterations designed to strengthen readiness and the ability to operate together.
“My biggest takeaway is that readiness and relationships go hand in hand,” said 1st Sgt. Stowers. “Tactical excellence builds credibility, and credibility builds trust.”
