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Old 09-18-2018, 04:03 PM
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mcchordsage mcchordsage is offline
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Mostly drawn from Osprey Elite 37: Panama 1989-1990. There's a lot more detail in there about the PDF small arms, organization, motivation, but here's the order of battle more or less as it was when Just Cause started.

Panamanian Defense Force (PDF)
Batallion 2000: Fort Cimarron
-600 to 700 men
-Intended as a mobile reaction force
-Questionable loyalty to Noriega
Eagle Company
Fury Company
Mechanized Company
-2x V-150 command vehicles, 4x V-150 APC, 9x V-300
Fire Support Company (heavy mortars)
Attached
1st Infantry Combat and Fire Support Company "Tiger"
2nd Infantry Airborne Company "Puma"
-High loyalty to Noriega

Batallion Policia Militar "Victoriano Lorenzo"
-Usually functioned as uniformed military police and security patrols.
-Also infantry trained.
5th Infantry Company: Fort Amador
-High loyalty to Noriega
8th Infantry Company: Fort Espinar

2nd Batallion "Paz": Chiriqui Province
-400 men
-"low priority" unit
Air Assault Company A "Fortune"
Air Assault Company B "Minnow"

4th Batallion "Cemaco": Las Palmas
-Units attached as needed on the Colombian border
1st Mountain Company

Escuadron de Caballeria "Gen. Jose Antonio Ramon Cantera": Panama la Viejo
-180 men
-48 horses
-Primarily a ceremonial unit


6th Infantry Mechanized Expeditionary Company: Rio Hato
-High loyalty to Noriega
-2x V-150 command vehicles, 9x V-150 APC, 4x V-300


7th Infantry Company "Macho de Monte": Rio Hato
-High loyalty to Noriega


Unidad Especial Seguidad Antiterror (UESAT): Panama la Viejo
-70 man counter-terror unit
-Bodyguard platoon assigned directly to Noriega


Unidad de Comandos: Fort Espinar
-Incompletely trained
Operational Tactical Group A
Operational Tactical Group B

Peleton de Ingenieria Militar (Military Engineer Platoon): Rio Hato
-50 men


NCO & Officer School: Rio Hato
-250 cadre, NCO students, and officer cadets


Pequeñas Unidades de Fuerzas Especiales (PUFE)
-Nicaraguan small special forces units, roughly detachment sized.
-Throughout the country training and advising PDF units.


Cuban Tropas Especiales
-Cuban special forces, trained and used similarly to Spetznaz.
-Throughout the country advising PDF units.



Fuerza Aerea Panamena (Panamanian Air Force)
-500 men
-21 Bell 205A-1: Usually assigned to the 2nd Airborne Infantry Company
-37 other strike, recon, and STOL transports


Fuerza de Policia
-Under PDF command
-5,000 men
-Handguns and assault rifles
2nd Anti-Riot Company "Centurion"
-High loyalty to Noriega
National Director of Ground Traffic
Highway Patrol

Departamento de Nacional de Investigaciones (DENI)
-1,500 men
-Secret police organization running informants and undercover agents in civilian populace, government, Panama Canal Commission, and US armed forces civilian employees


Guardia Nacional
Presidential Guard
Penitentiary Guard
Port Guard Force
Forest Guard

Dignity Battalions
-Intended to show support for Noriega
-Many members "encouraged" to join, including convicted felons and low level civil servants.
-Small salary or stipend as well.
-Led by PDF "Brigade" staff
-11 battalions, from 24 to 250 volunteers, mostly in urban areas
-Failed to turn out mostly during Just Cause
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