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JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/U.S. 4th Fleet completed the UNITAS 2025 mid planning conference on board Naval Station Mayport in Jacksonville, Apr. 7-11. Held virtually and in-person, the conference brought together commands from the U.S. and partner nations to plan for UNITAS 2025, the 66th iteration of the world’s longest-running multinational maritime exercise.

U.S. Navy Adm. Alvin Holsey, commander, U.S. Southern Command, and John M. Barrett, Charge d’Affaires at the U.S. Embassy in Panama, co-hosted a reception for Panamanian government officials and foreign dignitaries aboard the Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Chosin (CG 65) during a port visit to Panama Apr. 7, opening the Central American Security Conference (CENTSEC 2025). CENTSEC is a week of international joint operations and training, to promote and facilitate dialogue and cooperation among regional security partners focused on common challenges and objectives.

PANAMA CITY, Panama – (Apr. 10, 2025) – Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced April 9 that a U.S. Navy hospital ship, the USNS Comfort (T-AH 20), will deploy in support of Continuing Promise 2025 later this year.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth announced an expanded partnership between the U.S. and Panama to secure the Panama Canal in order to counter "China's maligned influence" in the region.

Recent security engagements between U.S. and Panamanian forces culminated in the first official U.S.-Panama special operations forces talks, underscoring a decades-long bilateral partnership.