Georgia Guard soldiers take on jungle operations training

Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade spent June 13 through July 3 battling extreme heat, relentless humidity, heavy rain, thick vegetation, dangerous wildlife and swarms of insects while training at the Combined Jungle Training Center-South in Panama.

“The moment I stepped off the bus at the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama, the humidity hit me immediately,” said Capt. Christopher Dudley. “In the jungle, your primary adversary isn’t an opposing force; it is the environment itself.”

The Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama was reestablished in August 2025 at Cristobal Colon, formerly Fort Sherman, on the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, with U.S. and Panamanian instructors teaching students.

The program offers an 18-day combined course for U.S. service members and Panamanian security forces and a 12-day noncombined course, covering ropes, ruck rafts, survival, medical skills and jungle tactics.

“The Combined Jungle Training Center–South prepares Soldiers to survive, move, and fight in dense jungle terrain,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Gabrielle Hamelly. “We learned how to sustain ourselves while executing training missions in one of the most challenging operational environments in the world.”

Training unfolded in three phases: foundational jungle skills, tactical application and a culminating three-day field exercise known as CULEX. The first phase built the baseline to operate in dense vegetation, the second honed unit cohesion, and the final event tested those skills in the field.

“The most significant takeaway from the jungle training was realizing that standard tactics, gear, and movement calculations must be completely overhauled to survive,” said Capt. Daniel Adcock. “Water procurement, gear and uniform limitations, medical essentials, navigation, and communications all require modifications to work effectively in the dense jungle.”

To graduate, students had to pass five tests that measured fitness, resilience and technical skill. “To graduate and earn a Jungle Tab students must pass the following, [critical items layout], a combat water survival test, a 5K jungle run, a knots test, a rope systems test, and a ruck run called the Green Mile,” explained Capt. Friedrich Phillip.

Throughout the course, participants trained alongside Panamanian partners. “It was a remarkable opportunity to build trust, share tactics, and enhance our collective interoperability in a real-world environment,” said Dudley. “Facing the challenges of the jungle together not only made us better Soldiers, but it also reinforced the vital importance of our regional partnerships.”

Among the graduates were the first women to complete the Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama: Sgt. 1st Class Gabrielle Hamelly of the Georgia Army National Guard and Spc. Aurora Pennington of the South Carolina Army National Guard. “I hope my experience helps encourage other women to pursue challenging military schools like JOTC-P,” said Hamelly. “There are no shortcuts to earning the Jungle Tab, but with determination, preparation, and the right mindset, it is achievable. I hope that by completing this course, I’ve helped pave the way for future female Soldiers to step forward and challenge themselves.”

Through a combined partnership, the course leverages Panama’s jungle terrain to train and certify leaders and units from the United States, Panama and other partner nations in basic jungle warfare, survival skills and interoperability, building a multinational center of excellence that advances shared tactics, mutual understanding and enduring security cooperation across the Western Hemisphere.