Quote:
Originally Posted by HorseSoldier
Alternately, if Colombia held together maybe their situation is relatively secure enough that they've got an expeditionary in Panama helping the US garrison hold the canal (and likely repair whatever damage it suffered during the war).
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OR, they could have put together an expedition to take it for themselves, since the US kinda assisted the Panamanian break-away in the first place.
Did the Canal get nuked? If not, that's a huge national asset. If there is power to run the locks, IIRC the original equipment was still operating not long ago.
Did the US garrison ever pull out? I could see this happening, possibly even before the OMEGA evacuation of Europe-- both as a test-run, and because it's closer. I could see the forces being drawn down for replacements as casualties mount in 1998, and the need for holding the Canal fading in 1999 as shipping disappears. Even if it didn't get pulled out, the shipping that could still collect there would be a ready source for the SouthCom folks to use for their own going home.