When the Roads Rumble: U.S. and Panamanian Partner Forces provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
Within hours of the earthquake striking, Soldiers assigned to JSCG-P were helping wrap and move pallets of water, food and other essential resources for citizens affected by the natural disaster. Soldiers, Marines, and Airmen worked shoulder-to-shoulder, primarily alongside Servicio Nacional Aeronaval, Sistema Nacional de Protección Civil, the office of the Presidencia and the Ministry of Public Security to box relief supplies for days following the earthquake.
On Oct. 10, 2026, 300 citizens were evacuated, and an estimated 400 different pieces of infrastructure were affected by the earthquake. Due to the persistent partnership with Panama, the U.S. military was able to rapidly respond and provide critical aid across the country. The direct engagements between the U.S. Southern Command personnel, the U.S. Department of State and Panamanian authorities helped all partner forces provide quick relief to Panamanian citizens. Through the cooperation between the U.S. and Panama, these bilateral operations on the ground demonstrate a deep, enduring commitment to national and regional stability built through years of combined training and partnership.
“The presence of the JSCG-P allowed us to immediately shift from security cooperation to humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations,” said U.S. Air Force Master Sgt. Victor Kipping Cordoba, Defense Health Cooperation Senior Enlisted Leader assigned to Joint Security Cooperation Group-Panama, U.S. SOUTHCOM. Kipping, a Panamanian himself, was struck deeper by the earthquake, as his family still resides in the Azuero Peninsula, Chiriquí, La Chorrera, and Panama City, Panama. “We already had established relationships, communication channels and an understanding of Panama’s response structure; we were able to quickly adapt our support to meet the needs created by the earthquake.”
Over the course of the two weeks of humanitarian assistance and disaster relief offered by the U.S. SOUTHCOM in support of Panama, a total of 376,500 tons of emergency supplies, including food, water, diapers and clothes, have been transported through air and ground movements. The shared crisis response operations strengthened mutual trust and elevated the combined operational capacity of both U.S. and Panamanian forces.
“Every mission was driven by needs on the ground, not simply where we could fly,” said 1st Lt. Alexandra Kachur, a platoon leader assigned to Bravo Company, 1st Battalion, 228th Aviation Regiment, JTF-B, U.S. SOUTHCOM. “Local Emergency Operations Centers helped identify conditions and requirements in their areas, and Panamanian emergency authorities prioritized those needs so aircrews could move people and supplies where they were needed most, based on aircraft availability, accessibility, and operational conditions.”
Three different aircrafts supported the mission, in total flying for over 20 hours to different locations in Panama, dropping off critical supply relief goods in distribution sites that were further dispersed to regions most affected across the country through ground movement. These flights also moved search-and-rescue teams to execute operations in a timely manner.
“We've been moving a lot of shelters, a lot of food, a lot of search-and-rescue people. It's been nice working with both the U.S. search-and-rescue and the Panamanian search-and-rescue,” said U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Austin Bright, a flight engineer assigned to 1-228 Aviation Regiment, JTF-B, U.S. SOUTHCOM. “Everybody's been really professional, and I look forward to keep working with them.”
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