Photo By Maj. Alicia Premo | U.S. Air Force Maj. Gen. David Mineau, Twelfth Air Force (Air Forces Southern)...... read more read more
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DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz.– Airmen assigned to 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern)joined approximately 40 military personnel from across the Americas during PANAMAX 2026, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored multinational exercise focused on an integrated approach against simulated threats to the Panama Canal and the region.
Conducted Aug. 3–14, 2026, PANAMAX provides participating forces from 19 nations an opportunity to conduct combined security and stability operations, enhance interoperability, and strengthen their collective capability to support Panama in defending the canal and preserving regional security. The Air Forces Southern-led air component brings together approximately 40military personnel from Ecuador, Peru, Colombia, Dominican Republic, Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Honduras, Guatemala, and El Salvador to synchronize multinational air component planning, command and control, and decision-making in support of overall exercise objectives.
Air Forces Southern led the combined air component in one of the Western Hemisphere’s premier multinational exercises. PANAMAX provides a realistic environment for allied and partner nations to integrate air operations, share information, and rehearse multinational planning and decision-making in response to simulated threats to the Panama Canal and regional security.
“We are proud to host PANAMAX here at Davis-Monthan and to work alongside our partner nations as we train to protect one of the most strategically important waterways in the world,” said Maj. Gen. David Mineau, commander of 12th Air Force (Air Forces Southern). “This exercise helps us sharpen the coordination, trust and readiness needed to support Panama in the defense of the Canal and preserve regional security.”
Throughout the exercise, U.S. and partner nation personnel will operate as a combined, multinational team, synchronizing planning and executing simulated operations in response to a complex regional contingency. Participants will strengthen command relationships, refine multinational coordination processes, and improve the interoperability needed to respond effectively during future crises.
PANAMAX reinforces the enduring commitment of the United States and partner nations to regional security through cooperation, transparencyand shared responsibility. By training together before a crisis occurs, participating nations build the trust, professional relationships and interoperability that enable faster, more effective responses when real-world events demand coordinated action.
"This opportunity was the first time Ecuador brought air force intelligence personnel, and the immense value of this training for our force and our partners is already clear," said Lt. Col. Andres Acosta, Operations, Intelligence and Analysis officer for the Ecuadorian Air Force. "Exchanging operational perspectives and discussing air doctrine face-to-face builds the mutual trust and understanding essential for our shared security."
Exercise participants will conduct planning, command-and-control integration, intelligence sharing, operational coordination and multinational decision-making across multiple locations, linking headquarters staffs and operational units throughout the exercise. The scenario is designed to challenge participants in a realistic multinational environment while strengthening each nation’s ability to operate alongside allies and partners during a coalition response to a notional contingency.
For Air Forces Southern, PANAMAX supports the command’s commitment to strengthening partnerships across the Western Hemisphere by improving readiness, reinforcing integrated deterrenceand enhancing the collective ability of allied and partner air forces to respond to evolving regional security challenges.
“PANAMAX is more than a multinational exercise—it is an opportunity to bring together talented professionals from across the hemisphere, learn from one another and strengthen the partnerships that underpin regional security,” Mineau said. “That cooperation is essential to ensuring we are ready to respond together to future challenges.”
Beyond tactical and operational training, PANAMAX strengthens the professional networks and institutional relationships that enable long-term cooperation throughout the region. The exercise provides participants opportunities to exchange best practices, improve communication procedures and develop a shared understanding of multinational planning and execution.
"Collaborating in a combined air component environment allows us to synchronize our procedures and learn from each other's expertise," Acosta said. "This training ensures that if we are called upon to respond to a real-world contingency, we can operate seamlessly as one united team to preserve regional stability."
Since its inception, PANAMAX has evolved into a premier multinational exercise demonstrating the value of enduring partnerships, shared commitmentand collective readiness. Each iteration builds upon previous exercises, strengthening interoperability and ensuring participating nations remain prepared to operate together in support of regional security and stability.
“It is an honor to welcome our partners to PANAMAX and train together in support of a mission that matters to the hemisphere,” Mineau said. “By rehearsing how we integrate, communicate and operate as one team, we improve our collective ability to protect the Panama Canal, strengthen deterrence and meet the shared security responsibilities we all carry.”
PANAMAX is a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored multinational exercise that brings together defense and security forces from across the Americas to strengthen interoperability, enhance combined readiness and improve the collective ability of partner nations to respond to shared regional security challenges through coordinated multinational operations.
| Date Taken: | 08.06.2026 |
| Date Posted: | 08.06.2026 14:06 |
| Story ID: | 571767 |
| Location: | DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, ARIZONA, US |
| Web Views: | 27 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
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