Photo By Senior Airman Julia Lebens | U.S. Army Capt. Lauryn Westman, the liaison officer for the U.S. Embassy in Panama and...... read more read more
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PANAMA CITY, Panama – “Sin machete, no hay vida!” U.S. Marines and Panamanian security members shouted, waist deep in a river in the Panamanian jungle.
‘Without machete, there is no life.’ This scene took place on day five of the jungle orientation course, where jungle instructors from Panamanian National Border Service, National Aeronaval Service, Panamanian National Police, and the 25th Infantry Division had been teaching jungle survival skills to a combined class of U.S. and Panamanian students.
The course itself would not exist without the efforts of one officer watching from the muddy riverbank.
“When we were directed to build this course back in July, she really stepped up,” said U.S. Army Col. Marc Sanborn, Joint Security Cooperation Group - Panama commander. “Captain Westman has been the backbone of the development of this course, and she’s led her team through every challenge.”
U.S. Army Capt. Lauryn Westman, liaison officer for the U.S. Embassy in Panama and the Joint Security Cooperation Group–Panama, took the lead in July 2025 as the officer in charge of the pilot orientation course.
In April, U.S. Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth announced that the United States was “reviving the jungle school alongside Panamanian forces.” Within 129 days of that statement, training was underway.
“It truly was a bottom-up effort navigating a range of complex dynamics and real-time problem solving,” said Westman.
Her prior experience in working closely with embassies and partner forces as the officer in charge of the Civic Action Team – Palau and Joint Task Force Engineer, helped prepare her for the many challenges ahead.
U.S. and Panamanian leaders met, scouted training sites, developed safety measures, and arranged logistics.
“We initiated deliberate planning six weeks before execution,” Westman said. “We brought Panamanian leaders into the embassy to create shared understanding amongst all equities and shape the way forward.”
Medical evacuation coordination with Joint Task Force - Bravo, anti-venom for snake and scorpion bites, instructor support from 25th Infantry Division’s Lightning Academy, and U.S. Marine participation were among the many considerations required.
“You’ve got to approach problem sets with effort and intention, followed by timely action,” Westman said. “The challenge of figuring out how to get it done – how to get to yes – is what I find rewarding.”
Capt. Westman and her team did just that, delivering solutions for each obstacle they encountered.
“Capt. Westman was selected to tackle this massive opportunity to prepare a course that our partners and Marines would get the most out of,” Sanborn said. “She gives her all in everything she does, which is why she was the best person for the job.”
By August 2025, the orientation course—just an idea in April—graduated its first combined class of U.S. and Panamanian students. Westman said the ceremony, attended by senior leaders from the Ministry of Security, Panama’s Border Service, National Aeronaval Service, and the Panamanian National Police, underscored how much was accomplished in just six weeks.
“It has been motivating to see where we started and where we’re heading because this is just the beginning,” Westman said. “The orientation is the foundation for learning how to work together, codify a program of instruction, and both scale and sustain for future iterations. We started developing cohesive relationships that will only enhance cooperation as we look to provide even more rigorous, realistic, and challenging training into the near-term future.”
The August seven-day orientation course marked only the start. In October, a longer, 21-day course will expand and refine the model to incorporate squad-level tactics and patrols, further strengthening the ability of both nations to train by, with, and through each other.
| Date Taken: | 09.11.2025 |
| Date Posted: | 09.11.2025 18:00 |
| Story ID: | 547918 |
| Location: | PANAMA CITY, PA |
| Web Views: | 82 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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