Post by @themastersausage

The U.S. Army has reopened jungle training in Panama, and the Army says Panamanian instructors are leading the parts Americans cannot duplicate at home. The 18-day Jungle Operations Training Course - Panama is held at Aeronaval Base Cristobal Colon. It was revived after the earlier Panama jungle school closed in 1999. Panamanian First Sgt. Albis Fajardo is one of nine Panamanian instructors from three security branches teaching the course. He teaches survival techniques shaped by years operating in Panama's terrain. Lt. Col. Andrew Eagen, who leads the U.S. Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama, says Panamanian troops are the experts in that environment and Americans will not catch up to their comfort level there. The survival phase includes machete use, fire craft, water purification and primitive shelters. Panamanian instructors largely lead that part of the course. U.S. instructors lead the small-unit portion: movement, ambushes, casualty evacuation and waterborne operations. The course ends with combined missions and the Green Mile endurance event. The school has 120 training seats. The Army plans to reserve at least 20 for partner nations and at least 15 for Panamanian students. Colombian participation is being explored, but has not started. The Army says the course is about operating in jungle terrain, not conducting a counter-drug mission in Panama. That distinction matters because Panama's security forces also face trafficking activity in the Darien region. The revived school blends U.S. tactics with Panamanian survival knowledge. The key fact is that Panamanian personnel are not simply hosting the Army; they are instructing and attending the combined course. The U.S. has not announced a permanent new base through this training program. The Jungle Tab is now an Army-wide authorized skill tab for graduates of qualifying jungle courses. The Panama course is part of a larger Army push to rebuild skills for dense, austere terrain. #Jungle#Panama #MilitaryNews #Army #miltok