US soldiers and Panamanian forces during jungle training at the former Fort Sherman, now known as Base Aeronaval Almirante Cristóbal Colón, near Colón, Panama.
Photographer: Luis Antonio Rojas/BloombergThe US Is Flexing Its Military Might in Panama – And Keeping Latin America On Edge
Trump is pursuing "American dominance" in the region with the biggest-ever buildup of US troops.
Taking advantage of terrain teeming with pit vipers, boa constrictors and swarms of biting flies, the US military is reviving its jungle training school in Panama after a 25-year hiatus.
The lessons on rainforest survival, medical evacuations and patrols handed down to soldiers, sailors and Marines have taken on new significance as President Donald Trump signals a readiness to launch strikes on Mexican cartel bosses or dismantle Cuban defenses. The warnings seem all the more credible after his surprise capture of Venezuela’s Nicolás Maduro in January.