A multinational force requires coordination at the procedural, human, and technical levels to conduct its operations effectively. Likewise, force commanders must be aware of and be considerate of their mission partners in the decision-making process in an environment of mutual trust. This is precisely what was once again achieved at PANAMAX, which brought together 20 partner countries to work toward a common goal: defending the Panama Canal and maintaining regional stability.
Now in its 21st year, PANAMAX, a U.S. Southern Command- (SOUTHCOM) sponsored biennial multinational exercise, was held August 5-14 in various U.S. locations, including Arizona, Florida, Texas, and Virginia, which served as the staging grounds for the various components of the Multinational Force South (MNFS) created for this exercise.
“Your countries depend on you. They depend on you to be confident; they depend on you for their security and their democracy. And so that’s why we have to exercise together, to work through the challenges, because […] we have enemies, criminals, and terrorists that wake up every day trying to kill us. So how are we going to double down and work better together, across borders, to box out the enemy? Just like you did at PANAMAX.”
Setting the scene
More than 1,500 U.S. military personnel, including personnel from SOUTHCOM; U.S. Army South; U.S. Air Forces Southern; U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South; U.S. Southern Command Naval Forces; and U.S. Special Operations Command, participated in the exercise. In addition, some 500 participants from Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Spain, and Uruguay came together to train and respond to simulated transnational threats in a fictitious country and the region.
“In a short time, we were able to find, with patience, hard work, and a lot of will, meeting points between our doctrines and military customs, sharing in a great working environment, experiences, knowledge, and new visions that will serve us in the near future to face situations in real life,” said Chilean Army Brigadier General Eduardo Valdivia Méndez, commander of the Combined Forces Land Component Command for PANAMAX 24, during the closing ceremony.
During the exercise, participants confronted a fictitious violent extremist organization, which sought to overthrow the government of a fictitious Central American country and disrupt the free flow of traffic in the Panama Canal, carrying out several deadly attacks. The participants, committed to regional security, came together under a U.S.-led coalition, with Argentina, Brazil, Chile, and Peru sharing command of key force components for this edition of the exercise. Together, they responded to a wide variety of missions in the air, land, maritime, space, cyber, and information domains, demonstrating that regional challenges require cooperative solutions.
“The importance of the Panama Canal should be noted. Its operation impacts the entire world,” Panamanian National Air and Naval Service Deputy Commissioner Félix Kirven told Diálogo. “Twenty-one years later we have evolved to the domains we have today, land, air, and maritime, now technology and its challenges, 20 countries and we’ve even had observers from Spain as well, to put on a show of knowledge, fraternity, and procedures that make interoperability a fact. It’s not easy to gather so many people, each one with its own thinking and in a short period of time to go in a single direction. I think this is one of the most important achievements.”
The exercise, which began in 2003 with only three countries (Chile, the United States, and Panama) has evolved to become a crucial event for security forces of the Western Hemisphere, with participation spanning all continents. Today, PANAMAX is a critical exercise to strengthen interoperability and promote cooperation for regional stability.
“What I see here in the audience is Team Democracy,” Gen. Richardson said. “I see Team Democracy […] and teamwork is what withstands everything […]. As you continue to fight against the criminals and fight against the terrorists in your own countries, we will always be here as teammates with you. Always. Team Democracy wins at the end of the day based on the trust and the relationships with you.”
