The commander of U.S. Southern Command,?U.S. Army General Laura J. Richardson, visited Panama June 14-16, to meet with leaders and reaffirm the close security partnership between the United States and Panama and visit the humanitarian and disaster relief exercise led by the Coordination Center for the Prevention of Disasters in Central America and the Dominican Republic (CEPREDENAC).

U.S. Army Command Sergeant Major Benjamin Jones, SOUTHCOM’s senior enlisted leader, accompanied Gen. Richardson during the visit.

Highlighting the visit was a June 15 meeting between Gen. Richardson, Panamanian Minister of Public Security Juan Pino, and Colombian Minister of Defense Iván Velásquez to discuss joint efforts to address the humanitarian crisis in Darién — the land bridge connecting Panama and Colombia that is seeing record migration and an evolving humanitarian crisis.

On June 16, at the closing ceremony for the CEPREDENAC exercise, Gen. Richardson hailed the multinational partnerships displayed during the training, which included 600 people from 14 nations.

“The challenges faced within the region require strong partners, particularly as it relates to environmental security,” said Gen. Richardson during the exercise’s closing ceremony. “United States Southern Command is committed […] to helping people, to get after the disaster response, the humanitarian assistance and taking care of people.”

Personnel from SOUTHCOM and Joint Task Force Bravo supported the exercise and shared expertise on firefighting, HAZMAT, biological contamination, and casualty care.

Also during the trip, Gen. Richardson and Command Sgt. Maj. Jones joined Minister Pino, senior leaders, and Panamanian security personnel to discuss Women, Peace, and Security integration and the professionalization of security forces during a roundtable June. 14.

The United States and Panama share a longstanding security partnership that dates back more than a century.