MILITARY FORCES PHASED DRAWDOWN

The withdrawal of U.S. military forces in Panama under the Panama Canal Treaty Implementation Plan was conducted through unit reductions, relocations, and inactivations (official termination or demobilization). The phased drawdown from about 10,400 to zero in a five-year period began in late 1994 with the inactivation of some of the units under U.S. Army South's 193d Infantry Brigade (Light) following a farewell ceremony for those units June 3 at Fort Clayton. Highlights of the drawdown of military personnel by year were (with figures being approximate):

Civilian employees with the military in Panama were drawn down proportionately to the military drawdown levels. The total number of civilian employees (both appropriated fund and non-appropriate fund categories) at the end of 1993 was about 8,600 (3,400 American).

The following major units were relocated out of Panama:

DRAWDOWN ASPECTS OF TREATY IMPLEMENTATION PLANNING

The withdrawal of U.S. military forces in Panama under the Department of Defense's Panama Canal Treaty Implementation Plan, approved in 1992, was conducted through unit reductions, relocations, and inactivations (official termination or demobilization). One of the elements of the policy guidance governing the Treaty Implementation planning since 1990 was to effect a phased, orderly drawdown (and subsequently transfer the vacated facilities to Panama) designed to:

1. Spread over as much time as possible the impact to the Panamanian economy of reduced revenues from the U.S. military (in the form of salaries to Panamanian employees, supplies, services and contracts by Panamanian vendors and local purchases by families) and
2. Keep the quality of life for the U.S. military community as high as possible for as long as possible recognizing there would be some degradation in service. To this end, the plan was designed to consolidate base operations functions as much as possible to ensure availability of sufficient hospitals, schools, recreational, and shopping facilities throughout the drawdown to support the remaining population.

The plan called for (1) drawing down the infantry units first followed by the units and personnel supporting them and (2) at the same time drawing down U.S. military presence on the Atlantic side to only the Army Jungle Operations Training Battalion (earlier name was Jungle Operations Training Center) at Fort Sherman. (The JOTB's long-standing mission of training stateside infantry battalions was deemed important to continue operating in Panama for as long as possible while the search was on for a new site for the training center.)  Civilian employees of the military were reduced at the same rate as the military. As units were inactivated or relocated from Panama, the remaining U.S. military units and personnel were consolidated onto fewer military installations -- primarily Fort Clayton (including its subpost of Corozal), Howard Air Force Base, Rodman Naval Station, and Fort Kobbe.

To help keep a credible force-protection capability throughout the drawdown process, some units and personnel were deployed to Panama on rotational temporary duty, such as military police and a Marine rifle company.

Drawdown began in 1994

The first major withdrawal of troops began in October 1994 with the inactivation of elements of the 193d Infantry Brigade (Light), U.S. Army South's combat unit. To provide some lead time to Panama as well as to send a clear message of the seriousness of the U.S. military's intent to continue to abide by the Panama Canal Treaty (preparing for departure of U.S. forces and transferring military bases to the Government of Panama by the end of 1999), then U.S. Southern Commander in Chief Army General Barry McCaffrey directed that a symbolic ceremony be held June 3, 1994, at Fort Clayton. The remainder of this article lists the major units inactivated or relocated.