Photo By Tech. Sgt. Kenneth New | PANAMAX participants pose for a group photo after an A-10 Thunderbolt tour at...... read more read more
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This year’s annual PANAMAX exercise concluded last week after 19 partner nations and U.S. Air Force, Army and Navy personnel spent seven days practicing combined operations.
PANAMAX is an annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise focused on a multinational response to ensure free flow of commerce through the Panama Canal - one of the most strategically and economically crucial pieces of infrastructure in the world - as well as security and stability in the surrounding region. This year's exercise provided an opportunity to conduct security and stability operations, practice interoperability with U.S. partners, and build upon capability to plan and execute complex multinational operations.
“The exercise brings together military forces from all over the Americas to protect the interests of the entire hemisphere in the Panama Canal,” said Colombian Air Force Vice Commander, Lt. Gen. Carlos Silva Rueda. “We carried out the planning, strategy and execution of an exercise that aims to protect the interests of the entire region and bring peace to our countries.”
Silva acted as this year’s Commander of the Combined Forces Air Component Command (CFACC). The CFACC played an important role as the air arm to the Multinational Forces South Coalition providing critical support across the entire joint operating area.
The focus of PANAMAX 2022 was to exercise a variety of responses to a request for assistance from the government of Panama to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. This exercise was designed to execute stability operations under the auspices of United Nations Security Council Resolutions; provide interoperability training for the participating multinational staffs; and build participating nation capability to plan and execute complex multinational operations. “The interoperability that we have, the personal and professional relationships that we create through all of our air forces, creates a synergy that allows us to protect peace and prosperity in the hemisphere,” said 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) Vice Commander, Brig. Gen. Sean Choquette.
PANAMAX began in 2003 with three countries - Chile, Panama and the United States - and originally focused solely on maritime security of the Panama Canal. Since that time, the exercise has grown to become the region's largest coalition exercise. Partner nation forces participated in simulated training at various U.S. locations including Joint Staff Exercise Directorate at Suffolk, Virginia; U.S. Southern Command, Doral, Florida; Fort Sam Houston, San Antonio, Texas; Homestead Air Reserve Base, Homestead, Florida; Naval Station Mayport, Florida and Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Tucson, Arizona.
| Date Taken: | 08.17.2022 |
| Date Posted: | 08.17.2022 18:46 |
| Story ID: | 427456 |
| Location: | TUCSON, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 399 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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