PANAMA CITY, Panama –
U.S. Marines assigned to the 2nd Battalion, 2nd Marines, based out of Camp Lejeune, NC, arrived in Panama the first week of August 2025 as part of a combined effort to conduct training, strengthen bilateral security cooperation, and build operational trust with Panamanian security forces.
Ten of the newly arrived Marines will be engaging in a new jungle orientation pilot course at training sites in Cristóbal Colón, Colón Province, on Panama’s Caribbean coast, alongside the Panama National Police (Policia Nacional de Panama), Panama’s combined coast guard and air patrol (Servicio Nacional Aeronaval) and Panama’s border security institution (Servicio Nacional de Fronteras). The course is part of a broader U.S.-Panamanian initiative to establish a combined jungle operations training center.
“Our Marines are proud to be working with our Panamanian partners in this important environment,” said Sgt. Maj. Chris Taylor, 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit's senior enlisted leader. “This kind of hands-on, shared training helps build trust and prepares both of our forces for the challenges we face together.”
Supporting this effort, Joint Task Force-Bravo—a forward-deployed unit based at Soto Cano Air Base in Honduras that conducts humanitarian assistance, disaster relief, and security cooperation missions across Central America—will send an aviation detachment to Panama from Aug. 13 to 23, including two HH-60 Black Hawks and one CH-47 Chinook helicopter. The aircraft will enable jungle medical evacuation training, enhancing the combined joint force's ability to respond to medical contingencies in austere environments.
The jungle orientation pilot course integrates jungle instructors and trainees from both nations, with curriculum developed in partnership with Panamanian security institutions and the U.S. Army’s Jungle Operations Training Center, 25th Infantry Division. The effort is supported by the Joint Security Cooperation Group – Panama, which enables recurring security cooperation activities in alignment with U.S. Southern Command priorities.