DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. –
PANAMAX 2024 is underway at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base, Ariz. bringing together partner nations from 11 countries across the Americas to integrate and build upon their capabilities to plan and execute multinational operations, Aug. 5-16.
The U.S. Southern Command sponsored exercise is designed to develop and test participating nations’ capabilities to respond as a unified force to a wide variety of mission demands across conventional (air, land, sea), space, cyber, and information domains.
“Not only is it about getting better, it’s about building our relationships with one another,” said Maj. Gen. Evan Pettus, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) commander. “I think that’s ultimately the biggest takeaway that you’ll take out of this is our ability to work together as partners in this region to counter threats to our nations, together.”
The U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, multinational, biennial command post exercise is aimed at reinforcing and enhancing the long-term security of the Panama Canal and the Western Hemisphere and includes partner nations from Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Honduras, Panama, Mexico, Peru, Paraguay, and El Salvador.
More than 1,450 U.S. forces — including staff elements from USSOUTHCOM, US Army South, U.S. Marine Forces South, Special Operations Command South, 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet and other joint force enablers, along with 350 participants from 18 partner nations — are participating in PANAMAX 2024 at various U.S. locations to include Florida, Texas, Virginia and Arizona.