The symbolic Panama Canal transfer ceremony in Panama this week (December 14, with the actual transfer formally taking effect at noon December 31) brings to a close a century of U.S. military and Canal-related American civilian presence in Panama. Today -- at the end of the 20-year Treaty transition period beginning in October 1979 with the concurrent entry into force of the Panama Canal Treaty of 1977 and the Neutrality Treaty -- marks the conclusion of the American military drawdown and departure from Panama (from 10,000 to zero) and the transfer of some 5,200 buildings and other military properties on some 95,300 acres (on both sides and both ends of the canal) to the government of Panama as called for by the Panama Canal Treaty). The drawdown included relocating the Headquarters, U.S. Southern Command to Miami, Florida, and two of it subordinate commands to Puerto Rico in the past two years. It was the first time that one of the Department of Defense's regional unified commands had been moved from outside the United States to the United States.

And today very few Americans working with the Panama Canal organization remain with it; the Canal work force now is about 96 percent Panamanian.