As part of the U.S. effort to share information on the ranges, the Department of Defense, the U.S. Southern Command, and American Embassy Panama  co-sponsored a range symposium August 7, 1997, with selected members of the Panamanian government, nongovernmental organizations, and academic institutions to make them aware of the process used by the United States to prepare ranges for transfer to civilian ownership.

As another part of the range clearance program and in addition to providing Panama the 1997 range report,  the U.S. military developed with Panama a comprehensive plan to manage the ranges to minimize the risk to the public. The plan included the U.S. Forces' installing new physical barriers (20 "jersey" or similar barriers) to restrict vehicular access on existing wide trails on the ranges and some 500 warning signs (mounted on galvanized rigid steel pipes set in concrete) near the impact areas. (Endnote 4)

For the few small communities located near parts of the ranges, Army South and Panama's Ministry of Health sponsored two public awareness training seminars in November 1998 to educate Panamanian citizens living in those communities how to identify and deal with with accidental discovery of unexploded ordnance in those former training areas. The training was aimed at ensuring the citizens can identify unexploded ordnance, treat it with appropriate caution, and promptly report it to Panamanian authorities. Equipment provided to Panama for the campaign included two mini-vans, television sets with VCRs, posters, and flyers. (Endnote 5)

For management of the ranges, the Army South provided to the Panamanian government in 1999 two range land-management offices (at the ranges on each side of the isthmus). The two buildings were equipped with air conditioning, computer terminals, radio equipment, power generators, two four-wheeled drive vehicles, and other equipment that would allow Panamanian maintenance personnel man 24 hours a day workstations to maintain those ranges and safeguard against trespassers and squatters.  (Endnote 6)

Range Clearing Efforts

Following completion of the engineering studies of the ranges (resulting in two reports) and subsequent coordination with Panama, clearing efforts of the three ranges ground sweeps (for unexploded ordnance on the surface or partially buried) began in 1998 by a task force of Army and Air National Guard and Army South ordnance disposal personnel and concluded in 1999 to clear unexploded ordnance from the ranges. (They could not have started any earlier because of continuing U.S. military operations including training and negotiations for possibly establishing a multinational counterdrug center at Howard Air Force Base, which would have included a U.S. military  presence after 1999.  In mid-1998, the two governments concluded that such an agreement could not be reached.)

All suspected unexploded ordnance items found without potential extreme hazards to range clearing personnel and without causing heavy environmental damage to parts of the canal watershed were destroyed by trained explosive ordnance personnel and huge amounts of munitions scrap and junk (including old vehicles used for target practice) were cleared from the ranges.

The three ranges were transferred to Panama as ranges, as contemplated by the treaty. Balboa West range was transferred in June 1999 and Piña Range in June and July 1999. Empire Range was transferred in August 1999. (5,600 acres of Empire Range was transferred to Panama in August 1996, after having been confirmed free in imminent hazards. Panama began a reforestation project in that area immediately after the transfer.)

About 85 percent of the total range areas or roughly 47,200 acres (the major portions of which were used for maneuver training by military units with no live firing plus range firing fans or safety zones near impact areas) were cleared for unlimited use (even though the Treaty did not contemplate other uses for the ranges) prior to their transfer and considered free of any known imminent hazards to human life, health, and safety. Another 200 acres were transferred capable of limited reuse due to the potential presence of unexploded ordnance.

The remaining roughly 15 percent (about 7,700 acres or about 3,200 hectares) of the total range areas consist of impact areas (target zones) in remote areas which contain low through very high densities of unexploded ordnance and hence considered hazardous. Those areas could not be cleared, using current technologies where feasible, without significant damage to the environment of part of the canal watershed and without unacceptable risks to cleanup personnel, according to Department of Defense studies. U.S. officials contend that these areas could not be cleaned up without the U.S. violating Article VI of the Panama Canal Treaty by doing irreparable damage to the environment.  (The companion report to the 1997 report Unexploded Ordnance Assessment of U.S. Military Ranges in Panama examined all current detection sensing technologies for applicable to unexploded ordnance. It concluded that none of them could be implemented in densely vegetated areas of steep terrain without destroying the vegetation and thus the Canal watershed.) (Endnote 7)

Consequently, those impact areas were transferred as preserved use areas with the recommendation that they continue to be controlled and managed as preserved areas (with access restricted, as done under the U.S. military range management) because they form part of the Canal watershed and contain a rich biodiversity of flora and fauna. (Endnote 8)

This position was taken also by former Ambassador William Hughes (1995-1998), who later said that because of the rugged terrain, there is little more the U.S. can do than clean up what is "practicable" and develop with Panamanians a comprehensive plan to manage other areas to minimize the risk to the public. (Endnote 9) The same position was held by his successors.

Although Panama decided in late 1998 to work with the Range Transfer Plan, widespread publicity of Panamanian complaints (such as Panama's positions that the ranges must be cleared of all hazards; the United States left Panama without doing anything to clean up the ranges; among other complaints)  supported by certain nongovernmental organizations from the United States  continued in the Panamanian press even after the ranges were transferred.

Compensation for Residual Value

Although the treaty allowed for compensation for residual value with respect to transferring military properties (a value agreed upon by the two governments for non-removable property or improvements made on installations),  Panama was not charged for such compensation for any of the transferred properties.

Summary of Major Property Transfers (1993-1999)

All U.S. military property transfers to Panama are summarized in the list  (with appropriate  links) immediately preceding the section  U.S. Military Property Transfers to Panama (1979-1999) Under Panama Canal Treaty Implementation with more details on most of the transferred properties. That section also notes uses by Panama of those facilities following their transfer. 

The major transfers (1993-1999) are listed below.(and shown on maps beginning at  GO TO).

1993:

1995:

1996:

1997:

1998:

1999:

Drawdown of Military Forces

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 :

Details of all major drawdown actions are in a separate section entitled U.S. Military Forces Drawdown and Departure from Panama (1994-1999).