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In Panama, Secretary of War Pete Hegseth told members of the recently established Americas Counter Cartel Coalition that the U.S. is firmly committed to working alongside them to dismantle dangerous transnational criminal drug cartels. 

What's now being labeled as the most important multinational defense and security exercise in the Western Hemisphere, PANAMAX 2026 has officially reached mid-point, and all 19 participating nations are flexing their combined and collective ability to work together and protect vital interests in the region.

Joint Task Force-Bravo collaborated with Panama’s Ministerio de Salud to host a Medical Readiness Training exercise from Aug. 4-7, at Escuela Altos de los Lagos in Colón, Panama, during the Panamanian-led multinational exercise, PANAMAX 2026.

Airmen assigned to 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern) joined approximately 40 military personnel from across the Americas during PANAMAX 2026,which was conducted Aug. 3–14, 2026. PANAMAX provides participating forces from 19 nations an opportunity to conduct combined security and stability operations, enhance interoperability, and strengthen their collective capability to support Panama in defending the canal and preserving regional security. The Air Forces Southern-led air component brings together approximately 40 military personnel from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to synchronize multinational air component planning, command and control, and decision-making in support of overall exercise objectives.

The Royal Netherlands Navy hosted the United States, Dominican Republic, Panama, Colombia and Netherlands onto the HNLMS Groningen (P843) OPV, on Aug. 4, 2026, for a brief to outline for PANAMAX 2026 in a pre-sail conference.