DVIDS (CENTCOM / DoD): When the Roads Rumble: U.S. and Panamanian Partner Forces provide Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief
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On Oct. 9, 2026, the streets of Panama shook as a 7.7-magnitude earthquake hit the country; the epicenter was located at Pitaloza Arria in the Azuero Peninsula. In response, U.S. military Joint Security Cooperation Group - Panama and Joint Task Force - Bravo rotary-wing aircrafts mobilized immediately to provide critical airlifts, damage assessments and specialized mobility services in coordination with Fairfax County Urban Search-and-Rescue and the Los Angeles County Fire Department.
HAITI - On October 19 the U.S. Embassy in Port-au-Prince reported continuous heavy fighting between gangs and security forces in the vicinity of Santo and Croix-des-Bouquets, with roads possibly blocked or impassable, and advised U.S. citizens to exercise caution and avoid the area.
CARIBBEAN - According to U.S. Southern Command, Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere struck a go-fast vessel, a small fast boat, in the Caribbean on October 4.
CARIBBEAN SEA - Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere carried out a lethal kinetic strike on September 9 against a go-fast vessel, a small high-speed boat, on routes the command called established narco-trafficking lanes in the Caribbean.
EASTERN PACIFIC - U.S. Southern Command said Joint Task Force Western Hemisphere forces on September 7 interdicted a vessel the command described as a floating refueling station supporting at-sea drug trafficking in the Eastern Pacific.
