Panamax 2026 multinational drill in Panama

The United States‑organized Panamax 2026 exercise began in Panama on 27 July and is scheduled to run until 15 August. Argentina, following a decree by President Javier Milei, deployed 56 navy, army and air personnel to join a coalition that already includes the United States, Panama and a dozen other Latin American states such as Brazil, Belize, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, El Salvador, Guatemala, Mexico, Paraguay and Peru.

By 30 July roughly 500 elite troops from eight nations—Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador, the United States, Guatemala, Honduras, Peru and the Dominican Republic—had arrived, with organizers expecting about 1,700 personnel from around 20 countries once additional contingents from Germany, Brazil, the United Kingdom and others join. The drill follows a five‑phase plan covering maritime, aerial, cyber and logistics scenarios aimed at protecting the Panama Canal and testing joint response to common threats. Civil‑society groups have voiced concerns that the exercises could impinge on Panama’s sovereignty, while the presence of U.S. Southern Command forces underscores the strategic focus on regional stability.

From 3 August to 13 August the United States and Brazil led joint operations with 17 other nations, simulating a coordinated response to a threat against the canal. Simultaneously, U.S. Southern Command announced the creation of a new Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere—replacing Operation Southern Lance—as part of the “Shield of the Americas” coalition to intensify counter‑narcotics efforts against drug‑trafficking cartels, reflecting President Donald Trump’s second‑term policy of expanding U.S. military presence in the Western Hemisphere.