Panama to host PANAMAX multinational exercise Aug. 3-13

PANAMA PACIFICO, Panama — Panama will host PANAMAX 2026 from Aug. 3–13, bringing together participants from 18 partner nations, including the United States, for combined security and stability operations designed to strengthen joint-operations capabilities. The field-training exercise centers on a coalition response to a notional scenario and employs an integrated approach against simulated threats to the Panama Canal and the surrounding region.

Participating nations will include Panama, Argentina, Belize, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, Paraguay, Peru, the United Kingdom and the United States.

Panama will serve as host, while the United States will co-lead the four force components. Argentina will co-lead the special operations forces component, Chile will co-lead the maritime component, Colombia will co-lead the air component, and Peru will co-lead the ground component.

This year marks the first time in 14 years that the exercise will be conducted as a live multinational event in Panama alongside a command post exercise held in both Panama and the United States.

For updated information about PANAMAX 2026, visit www.dvidshub.net/feature/Panamax26 and www.SOUTHCOM.mil, or email [email protected].