MARIETTA, Ga. — High heat, constant humidity, heavy rainfall, dense vegetation, dangerous animals and countless insects are what Soldiers from the 1st Battalion, 54th Security Force Assistance Brigade endured at the Combined Jungle Training Center-South in Panama from June 13 through July 3.
“The moment I stepped off the bus at the Jungle Operations Training Center in Panama, the humidity hit me immediately,” exclaimed Capt. Christopher Dudley. “In the jungle, your primary adversary isn’t an opposing force; it is the environment itself.”
The Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama was reestablished in August 2025 at Cristobal Colon, formerly Fort Sherman, on the Atlantic entrance to the Panama Canal, where both U.S. and Panamanian instructors teach students.
The course offers two forms of training: an 18-day combined course for U.S. service members and Panamanian security forces and a 12-day noncombined course. Training covers ropes, ruck rafts, survival, medical skills and jungle tactics.
“The Combined Jungle Training Center–South prepares Soldiers to survive, move, and fight in dense jungle terrain,” explained Sgt. 1st Class Gabrielle Hamelly. “We learned how to sustain ourselves while executing training missions in one of the most challenging operational environments in the world.”
The training consisted of three phases: foundational jungle skills, tactical application and a culminating exercise, or CULEX. Foundational jungle skills built the essential baseline required to function effectively in dense vegetation. At the same time, tactical application refined the Soldiers’ ability to operate as a cohesive element, and the CULEX consisted of a three-day field training event.
“The most significant takeaway from the jungle training was realizing that standard tactics, gear, and movement calculations must be completely overhauled to survive,” explained Capt. Daniel Adcock. “Water procurement, gear and uniform limitations, medical essentials, navigation, and communications all require modifications to work effectively in the dense jungle.”
In addition to the training, students had to pass five tests to graduate. Each event evaluated Soldiers’ physical fitness, mental resilience and technical proficiency.
“To graduate and earn a Jungle Tab students must pass the following, [critical items layout], a combat water survival test, a 5K jungle run, a knots test, a rope systems test, and a ruck run called the Green Mile,” explained Capt. Friedrich Phillip.
Throughout the training, Soldiers had the opportunity to work alongside their Panamanian partners, adding value to the exercise.
“It was a remarkable opportunity to build trust, share tactics, and enhance our collective interoperability in a real-world environment,” said Dudley. “Facing the challenges of the jungle together not only made us better Soldiers, but it also reinforced the vital importance of our regional partnerships.”
Among the course’s graduates were two Soldiers as the first women to graduate from the Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama: Sgt. 1st Class Gabrielle Hamelly of the Georgia Army National Guard and Spc. Aurora Pennington of the South Carolina Army National Guard.
“I hope my experience helps encourage other women to pursue challenging military schools like JOTC-P,” said Hamelly. “There are no shortcuts to earning the Jungle Tab, but with determination, preparation, and the right mindset, it is achievable. I hope that by completing this course, I've helped pave the way for future female Soldiers to step forward and challenge themselves."
Through a combined partnership, the Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama leverages the unique and demanding jungle environment of the Isthmus of Panama to train and certify leaders and units from the United States, Panama and other partner nations in basic jungle warfare techniques, survival skills and interoperability. The training prepares participants to fight and win in tropical environments while fostering a multinational center of excellence that promotes shared tactics, mutual understanding and enduring security cooperation throughout the Western Hemisphere.