PANAMA – For more than 100 years, the Panama Canal has connected our world by bridging the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Since its completion in 1914, the canal has been one of the most important shipping routes on the planet, carrying nearly 14,000 ships each year. If the canal were to stop functioning, the consequences could have a huge impact on the global economy. Protecting the canal is not just the responsibility of the United States, but the responsibility of all nations that value free and open trade. This is the purpose of PANAMAX.
PANAMAX is a multinational training exercise involving all branches of the US Armed Forces and member nations to unite and focus on defending the Panama Canal and ensuring the free flow of global trade. PANAMAX started in 2003 with three participating countries: the United States, Panama and Chile. 53 Naval Reserve personnel from Commander, U.S. Fourth Fleet (COMUSNAVSO/C4F) participated in PANAMAX 22, Aug. 1-12, at various U.S. locations, including the Joint Staff Exercise Directorate at Fort Sam in Suffolk, Virginia. Houston, San Antonio, Texas, and Headquarters Fourth Fleet/US Navy South, Naval Station Mayport, Mayport, Florida. The exercise involved the United States and 23 partner nations: Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Panama, Paraguay. , Peru, Spain, Trinidad and Tobago and Uruguay. “This is one of the most complex exercises involving our region … we have to ‘live the situation,'” said Rear Adm. Marcelo Fernandez of Argentina, who served as commander of the Argentine Navy’s Atlantic Fleet and head of the Combined Forces Naval Component Command. PANAMAX for the 22nd. “We need to imagine the global economic impact of closing the Panama Canal. We’re not just here to create a task force, we’re here to create a team.” For an exercise like PANAMAX, integration and interoperability are critical to success, and for most Navy Reserve Sailors, integration is their standard operating procedure. During peacetime operations, Marines in the Reserve regularly transition from civilian to uniformed everyday life and quickly adjust to the pace of military operations. “Partnership should seek success for all of us,” said J im A contralmd. iken, commander, at the beginning of the COMUSNAVSO/C4F exercise. “This week, my goal is to get you out of your comfort zone. Our challenge is to think differently and ask questions and understand the perspectives of someone else who doesn’t wear the same uniform as you.” During PANAMAX, teams were challenged to protect the region from simulated events such as attacks by violent extremist groups and local political unrest. The training exercise allowed Reserve Sailors to share the workplace directly with their work colleagues and service members from partner nations, resulting in a unique experience with new perspectives. “It was an honor to be a part of this evolution because we were able to work with different [militaries] in South and Central America,” said Master-at-Arms 2nd Class Lizbeth Martinez-Vega, assigned from Houston. NR COMUSNAVSO/C4Fri. “It is so important to maintain our relationships with our member nations so that we can work together to protect our interests.” “We are incredibly proud of the 53 Sailors who directly contributed to making PANAMAX 2022 a tremendous success,” said Thomas Spencer, COMUSNAVSO/C4F, acting executive officer of the Navy Reserve. “The effort they put into Mayport, San Antonio. and Suffolk … will pay dividends for SouthCOM’s [Southern Command’s] future efforts.” The US Armed Forces and its member nations will continue to strengthen their ties and protect international shipping lanes, as the free flow of trade is essential to the prosperity of all nations. In the coat of arms of the Republic of Panama, it says “Pro Mundi Beneficio”, which means “For the benefit of the world”. As long as there is a Navy mission, the Navy Reserve Forces will be ready to assist on day one.
