US and Panamanian forces on Monday will begin joint training aimed at protecting the strategic shipping route of the Central American country’s canal, officials said.
On January 2, Panama’s President Jose Raul Mulino declared an end to tensions with the United States after Donald Trump threatened in 2025 to reclaim the canal, alleging it was being controlled by China.
About 50 Navy personnel and 61 Panamanian air, navy, and police units will join in the exercises at air and naval bases in Panama, its Security Ministry said in a statement, following three similar drills in 2025.
The joint program aims to improve forces’ “capacity to respond in operational scenarios” for the canal’s protection, the statement said.
