Military of Panama - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The Panamanian Public Forces are the national defense forces of Panama

Panama

Panama , officially the Republic of Panama , is the southernmost country of Central America. Situated on the isthmus connecting North and South America, it is bordered by Costa Rica to the northwest, Colombia to the southeast, the Caribbean Sea to the north and the Pacific Ocean to the south. The...

. Panama is the second country in Latin America

Latin America

Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...

(the other being Costa Rica

Costa Rica

Costa Rica , officially the Republic of Costa Rica is a multilingual, multiethnic and multicultural country in Central America, bordered by Nicaragua to the north, Panama to the southeast, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Caribbean Sea to the east....

) to permanently abolish standing armies, leaving it with only small para-military forces. This came as a result of a US invasion that overthrew a military dictatorship

Military dictatorship

A military dictatorship is a form of government where in the political power resides with the military. It is similar but not identical to a stratocracy, a state ruled directly by the military....

which ruled the country from 1968 to 1989. The final military dictator, Manuel Noriega

Manuel Noriega

Manuel Antonio Noriega Moreno is a Panamanian politician and soldier. He was military dictator of Panama from 1983 to 1989.The 1989 invasion of Panama by the United States removed him from power; he was captured, detained as a prisoner of war, and flown to the United States. Noriega was tried on...

, had been belligerent toward the USA culminating in the killing of a US Marine Lieutenant and US invasion ordered by President, George H. W. Bush

George H. W. Bush

George Herbert Walker Bush is an American politician who served as the 41st President of the United States . He had previously served as the 43rd Vice President of the United States , a congressman, an ambassador, and Director of Central Intelligence.Bush was born in Milton, Massachusetts, to...

. Panama maintains forces, consisting of armed Police and Security forces, and small air and maritime forces. They are tasked with law enforcement, and can perform limited military actions. Panama can create a temporary military force to counter any attack.

The National Police

Panama's first army was formed in 1903, when the commander of a brigade of the Colombia

Colombia

Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia , is a unitary constitutional republic comprising thirty-two departments. The country is located in northwestern South America, bordered to the east by Venezuela and Brazil; to the south by Ecuador and Peru; to the north by the Caribbean Sea; to the...

n army defected to the pro-independence side during Panama's fight for independence. His brigade became the Panamanian army.

In 1904, the army tried to overthrow the government, but failed. The United States

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

persuaded Panama that a standing army could threaten the security of the Panama Canal Zone

Panama Canal Zone

The Panama Canal Zone was a unorganized U.S. territory located within the Republic of Panama, consisting of the Panama Canal and an area generally extending 5 miles on each side of the centerline, but excluding Panama City and Colón, which otherwise would have been partly within the limits of...

. Instead, the country set up a "National Police." For 48 years, this was the only armed force in Panama.

However, starting in the late 1930s, the National Police attracted several new recruits who had attended military academies

Military academy

A military academy or service academy is an educational institution which prepares candidates for service in the officer corps of the army, the navy, air force or coast guard, which normally provides education in a service environment, the exact definition depending on the country concerned.Three...

in other Latin American countries. Combined with increased spending on the police, this began a process of militarization. The process sped up under José Remón

José Antonio Remón Cantera

José Antonio Remón Cantera , was president of Panama from 1 October 1952 until his murder by machine-gun fire at a Panama City racetrack - on 2 January 1955. He belonged to the National Patriotic Coalition....

, who became the Police's commandant

Commandant

Commandant is a senior title often given to the officer in charge of a large training establishment or academy. This usage is common in anglophone nations...

(commanding officer) in 1947. He himself had graduated from Mexico

Mexico

The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...

's military academy. He began promoting fewer enlisted men to officer rank, giving the police a more military character.

The National Guard

After playing a role in overthrowing two presidents, Remón resigned his commission and became president himself in 1952. His first act was to reorganize the National Police along military lines with a new name, the National Guard. The new grouping retained police functions as well. With a new name came increased American funding.

In 1968, the Guard overthrew President Arnulfo Arias

Arnulfo Arias

Dr. Arnulfo Arias Madrid was president of Panama on three occasions: 1940–41, 1949–51, and for two weeks in October 1968.- Origins :...

in a coup led by Lieutenant Colonel

Lieutenant colonel

Lieutenant colonel is a rank of commissioned officer in the armies and most marine forces and some air forces of the world, typically ranking above a major and below a colonel. The rank of lieutenant colonel is often shortened to simply "colonel" in conversation and in unofficial correspondence...

Omar Torrijos

Omar Efraín Torrijos Herrera was the Commander of the Panamanian and National Guard and the de facto leader of Panama from 1968 to 1981...

and Major

Major

Major is a rank of commissioned officer, with corresponding ranks existing in almost every military in the world.When used unhyphenated, in conjunction with no other indicator of rank, the term refers to the rank just senior to that of an Army captain and just below the rank of lieutenant colonel. ...

Boris Martínez. They completed the process of converting the Guard into a full-fledged army. In the process, they promoted themselves to full colonel

Colonel

Colonel , abbreviated Col or COL, is a military rank of a senior commissioned officer. It or a corresponding rank exists in most armies and in many air forces; the naval equivalent rank is generally "Captain". It is also used in some police forces and other paramilitary rank structures...

. Torrijos thrust Martínez aside in 1969, promoted himself to brigadier general

Brigadier General

Brigadier general is a senior rank in the armed forces. It is the lowest ranking general officer in some countries, usually sitting between the ranks of colonel and major general. When appointed to a field command, a brigadier general is typically in command of a brigade consisting of around 4,000...

, and was de facto ruler of the country until his death in a 1981 plane crash. (See Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash

Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash

The Panamanian Air Force FAP-205 crash occurred in July 31, 1981 when a DeHavilland Twin Otter, owned by the Panamanian Air Force and registered as FAP-205, crashed in the Marta Hill, in the community of Coclesito in very bad weather while on final approaching to the airport and killing all 7...

)

The Panamanian Defense Forces

Torrijos was eventually replaced by Manuel Noriega

Manuel Noriega

, who merged all of Panama's armed forces under his command as the Panamanian Defense Forces. He built the PDF into a structured force, and further consolidated the dictatorship. Under Noriega, the PDF was a feared tool of repression. Having set up a commando style group called the Dobermans he was able to survive various attempted coups. Outside of the inner core of the PDF Noriega did not have strong support similar to the civilian population and the majority of the PDF surrendered quickly when the United States invaded Panama

United States invasion of Panama

The United States Invasion of Panama, code-named Operation Just Cause, was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989. It occurred during the administration of U.S. President George H. W...

and overthrew Noriega in 1989.

Equipment-

Model	Type	Origin	Caliber
Browning Hi-Power Browning Hi-Power The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, 9 mm semi-automatic handgun. It is based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at Fabrique Nationale of Herstal, Belgium. Browning died in 1926, several years before the design was finalized...	Semi-automatic pistol	Belgium	9x19mm
Glock 17	Semi-automatic pistol	Austria	9x19mm
SIG Sauer P228	Semi-automatic pistol	Switzerland	9x19mm
Smith & Wesson Model 15	Revolver Revolver A revolver is a repeating firearm that has a cylinder containing multiple chambers and at least one barrel for firing. The first revolver ever made was built by Elisha Collier in 1818. The percussion cap revolver was invented by Samuel Colt in 1836. This weapon became known as the Colt Paterson...	U.S.A	.38 Special .38 Special The .38 Smith & Wesson Special is a rimmed, centerfire cartridge designed by Smith & Wesson. It is most commonly used in revolvers, although some semi-automatic pistols and carbines also use this round...
IMI Uzi	Sub-machine gun	Israel	9x19mm
FN P90 FN P90 The FN P90 is a selective fire personal defense weapon designed and manufactured by FN Herstal in Belgium. The P90's name is taken from 1990, the year it was introduced...	Sub-machine gun	Belgium	5.7x28mm
FAMAE SAF FAMAE SAF The FAMAE SAF is a submachine gun produced since 1993 by FAMAE , the Chilean government small arms factory...	Sub-machine gun	Chile	9x19mm
HK MP5	Sub-machine gun	Germany	9x19mm
Colt M16	Assault Rifle Assault rifle An assault rifle is a selective fire rifle that uses an intermediate cartridge and a detachable magazine. Assault rifles are the standard infantry weapons in most modern armies...	U.S.A	5.56x45mm
Colt M4 M4 carbine The M4 carbine is a family of firearms tracing its lineage back to earlier carbine versions of the M16, all based on the original AR-15 designed by Eugene Stoner and made by ArmaLite. It is a shorter and lighter variant of the M16A2 assault rifle, with 80% parts commonality.It is a gas-operated,... and M4A1	Assault Rifle	U.S.A	5.56x45mm
T65	Assault Rifle	Republic of China	5.56x45mm
AKMS	Assault Rifle	Soviet Union	7.62x39mm
AMD-65	Assault Rifle	Hungary	7.62x39mm
FN FAL FN FAL The Fusil Automatique Léger or FAL is a self-loading, selective fire battle rifle produced by the Belgian armaments manufacturer Fabrique Nationale de Herstal . During the Cold War it was adopted by many North Atlantic Treaty Organization countries, with the notable exception of the United States...	Battle Rifle Battle rifle A battle rifle is a military service rifle that fires a full power rifle cartridge, such as 7.62x51mm NATO. While the designation of battle rifle is usually given to post-World War II select fire infantry rifles such as the H&K G3, the FN FAL or the M14, this term can also apply to older military...	Belgium	7.62x51mm
SVD	Sniper Rifle Sniper rifle In military and law enforcement terminology, a sniper rifle is a precision-rifle used to ensure more accurate placement of bullets at longer ranges than other small arms. A typical sniper rifle is built for optimal levels of accuracy, fitted with a telescopic sight and chambered for a military...	Soviet Union	7.62x54mm
M1 Garand M1 Garand The M1 Garand , was the first semi-automatic rifle to be generally issued to the infantry of any nation. Called "the greatest battle implement ever devised" by General George S...	Semi-automatic Rifle	U.S.A	.30-06 Springfield .30-06 Springfield The .30-06 Springfield cartridge or 7.62×63mm in metric notation, was introduced to the United States Army in 1906 and standardized, and was in use until the 1960s and early 1970s. It replaced the .30-03, 6 mm Lee Navy, and .30 US Army...
RPK RPK The RPK is a 7.62x39mm light machine gun of Soviet design, developed by Mikhail Kalashnikov in the late 1950s, parallel with the AKM assault/battle rifle...	Light Machine Gun Light machine gun A light machine gun is a machine gun designed to be employed by an individual soldier, with or without an assistant, as an infantry support weapon. Light machine guns are often used as squad automatic weapons.-Characteristics:...	Soviet Union	7.62x39mm
FN MAG FN MAG The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...	General Purpose Machine Gun General purpose machine gun A general-purpose machine gun is a multi-purpose weapon: it is a machine gun firing a full-power rifle cartridge and which can be used in a variety of roles, from a bipod- or tripod-mounted infantry support weapon to a helicopter door gun or a vehicle-mounted support weapon...	Belgium	7.62x51mm
Saco M60 M60 machine gun The M60 is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links...	General Purpose Machine Gun	U.S.A	7.62x51mm
PKM	General Purpose Machine Gun	Soviet Union	7.62x54mm
Browning M1919A4	Medium Machine Gun Medium machine gun A medium machine gun or MMG, in modern terms, usually refers to a belt-fed automatic firearm firing a full-power rifle cartridge.-History:...	U.S.A	7.62x51mm
Browning M2HB	Heavy Machine Gun Heavy machine gun The heavy machine gun or HMG is a larger class of machine gun generally recognized to refer to two separate stages of machine gun development. The term was originally used to refer to the early generation of machine guns which came into widespread use in World War I...	U.S.A	12.7x99mm
Colt M203 M203 grenade launcher The M203 is a single shot 40 mm grenade launcher designed to attach to a rifle. It uses the same rounds as the older M79 break-action grenade launcher, which utilize the High-Low Propulsion System to keep recoil forces low. Though versatile, and compatible with many rifle models, the M203 was...	Grenade Launcher Grenade launcher A grenade launcher or grenade discharger is a weapon that launches a grenade with more accuracy, higher velocity, and to greater distances than a soldier could throw it by hand....	U.S.A	40mm
Soltam	Light Mortar Mortar (weapon) A mortar is an indirect fire weapon that fires explosive projectiles known as bombs at low velocities, short ranges, and high-arcing ballistic trajectories. It is typically muzzle-loading and has a barrel length less than 15 times its caliber....	Israel	60mm
M19 M19 Mortar The M19 Mortar is a very light and simple smoothbore, muzzle loading, high-angle-of-fire weapon for light infantry support developed and produced in the United States....	Light Mortar	U.S.A	60mm
RPG-18 RPG-18 The RPG-18 Mukha is a Russian short-range, disposable light anti-tank rocket launcher.-History:The RPG-18 is very similar to the US M72-series LAW anti-tank rocket and was developed after the Soviet military obtained M72s from its allies in Vietnam...	Rocket Propelled Grenade Rocket propelled grenade A rocket-propelled grenade is a shoulder-fired, anti-tank weapon system which fires rockets equipped with an explosive warhead. These warheads are affixed to a rocket motor and stabilized in flight with fins. Some types of RPG are reloadable while others are single-use. RPGs, with the exception of...	Soviet Union	64mm

Armored Vehicles

4 Cadillac Gage Commando 90mm 4x4 ARV
12 Cadillac Gage Commando 4x4 APC
24 LAV-300
LAV-300
The Cadillac Gage Textron LAV-300 is a family of American light armored vehicles including up to 15 configurations. LAV-300 offers high mobility, speeds of up to , and can be air-transported by a C-5 Galaxy, C-141 Starlifter, C-17 Globemaster III and C-130 Hercules cargo aircraft...

6x6
7 Humvee 4x4

Panamanian Public Forces

On February 10, 1990 the government of then President Guillermo Endara

Guillermo Endara

Guillermo David Endara Galimany was the President of Panama from 1989 to 1994. He ran for office in 2004 and 2009 but lost to the former President Martin Torrijos and to the incumbent President Ricardo Martinelli....

abolished Panama's military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces. In October 1994, Panama's Legislative Assembly approved a constitutional amendment prohibiting the creation of a standing military force, but allowing the establishment of a special temporary military to counter acts of "external aggression." The PDF was replaced with the Panamanian Public Forces.

The PPF includes the National Border Service, National Police, National Maritime Service, Judicial and Technical Police (PTJ) for investigatory activities, National Air Service, and an armed Institutional Protection Service or SPI for protection of public buildings. The PPF is also capable of performing limited military duties.

In contrast to the former PDF, the Panamanian Public Forces is on public record and under control of the executive.

In November 2008, the Servicio Aéreo Nacional (National Air Service) merged with its maritime counterpart, the Servicio Maritimo Nacional (National Maritime Service) to become the Servicio Nacional Aeronaval (National Aeronaval Service), also the creation of the new Servicio Nacional de Fronteras (National Borders Service) as an independent force from the National Police.

The New Ministry

In February 2010, the new administration led by President Ricardo Martinelli

Ricardo Martinelli

Ricardo Alberto Martinelli Berrocal is a Panamanian politician and businessman who was elected the 49th President of Panama in 2009. He is a Panamanian of Italian descent from his father's side.- Early life :...

has proposed the creation of a new Ministry of Security, that will replace the Ministry of Government and Justice to be divided in two new Ministries (Public Security and Government), which shall be placed under the National Police, National Naval Air Service, Immigration Service and National Borders Service.

Panamanian aircraft inventory

! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Series
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| ENAER T-35 Pillan || Chile || Trainer, reconnaissance ||B, D || 7 ||
|-----
| CASA C-212 Aviocar || Spain || Tactical transport || 300 || 3 ||
|-----
| Britten Norman Islander || United Kingdom || Tactical light transport || 2A || 2 ||
|-----
| Eurocopter EC 145 || European Union || Utility and transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| MD Helicopters MD 500

MD Helicopters MD 500

The MD Helicopters MD 500 series is an American family of light utility civilian and military helicopters. The MD 500 was developed from the Hughes 500, a civilian version of the US Army's OH-6A Cayuse/Loach...

|| United States || Utility and transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| UH-1 Huey || United States || Utility and transport || H || 1 ||
|-----
| UH-1N Twin Huey

UH-1N Twin Huey

The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter that first flew in April, 1969. The UH-1N has a fifteen seat configuration, with one pilot and fourteen passengers. In cargo configuration the UH-1N has an internal capacity of 220 ft³ . An external load of 5,000 lb can be carried...

|| United States || Utility and transport || N || 1||
|-----
| Bell 407

Bell 407

The Bell 407 is a four-blade, single-engine, civil utility helicopter; a derivative of the Bell 206L-4 LongRanger. The 407 uses the four-blade rotor with composite hub developed for the United States Army's OH-58D Kiowa Warrior instead of the two-blade, semi-rigid rotor of the 206L-4...

|| United States || Utility and transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| Bell 412

Bell 412

The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...

|| United States || Utility and transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| Bell 205 || United States || Utility and transport || A-1 || 1 ||
|-----
| Bell 212 || United States || Utility and transport || || 8 ||
|-----
| Sikorsky S-76

Sikorsky S-76

The Sikorsky S-76 is an American medium-size commercial utility helicopter. The S-76 is powered by two turboshaft engines, which drive both the main and tail rotors, each with four blades...

|| United States || VIP transport || C || 1 ||
|-----
| Piper PA-34 Seneca

Piper PA-34 Seneca

The Piper PA-34 Seneca is an American twin-engined light aircraft, produced by Piper Aircraft since 1971 and still in production in 2011.The Seneca is primarily used for personal and business flying.-Development:...

|| United States || Utility and transport || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 150

Cessna 150

The Cessna 150 is a two-seat tricycle gear general aviation airplane, that was designed for flight training, touring and personal use.The Cessna 150 is the seventh most produced civilian plane ever, with 23,839 aircraft produced...

|| United States || Utility || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 152

Cessna 152

The Cessna 152 is an American two-seat, fixed tricycle gear, general aviation airplane, used primarily for flight training and personal use.-Development:...

|| United States || Utility || || 1 ||
|-----
| Cessna 172

Cessna 172

The Cessna 172 Skyhawk is a four-seat, single-engine, high-wing fixed-wing aircraft. First flown in 1955 and still in production, more Cessna 172s have been built than any other aircraft.-Design and development:...

|| United States || Utility || || 1 ||
|-----
| Grumman Gulfstream II

Grumman Gulfstream II

The Gulfstream II is an American twin engine business jet designed and built by Grumman and then in succession, Grumman American and finally Gulfstream American. Its Grumman model number is G-1159 and its US military designation is C-11 Gulfstream II. It has been succeeded by the Gulfstream III...

|| United States || VIP transport || II || 1 ||
|-----
| Embraer Legacy 600 || Brazil || VIP transport || 600 || 1 ||