Operation Just Cause
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Quick Overview
On December 15, 1989, the National Assembly of Panama officially declared a state of war between Panama and the United States. Two days later, the United States began its rapid, yet very efficient, mobilization of armed forces. Within hours of the declaration of a state of war, OPLAN 90-2, code named BLUE SPOON, became known as Operation Just Cause. When the National Command Authority and the Joint Chiefs of Staff began mobilization, they had six objectives in mind.
- Protect US lives, facilities, and interests.
- Capture and deliver Noriega into the hands of competent authorities.
- Neutralize PDF (Panamanian Defense Forces) forces.
- Neutralize PDF command and control.
- Support establishment of a US-recognized government in Panama.
- Restructure the PDF.
As President Bush said, the goal of the operation was "to safeguard the lives of Americans, to defend democracy in Panama, to combat drug trafficking and to protect the integrity of the Panama Canal Treaty." [1]
December 20, 1989 saw more than just the start of combat in Panama. That day, the 82nd Airborne Division and the 504th Parachute Infantry Regiment made their first combat jumps since World War II. Their objective that morning- the Torrijos International Airport located roughly 15 miles from Panama City. The name had been changed from Tocumen International Airport to the Torrijos International Airport after the death of the Panamanian leader Omar Torrijos but became Tocumen again after the overthrow of Manuel Noriega. Also seen on December 20 was the first use of the F117 Stealth Fighter plane. Finally, December 20 saw the fastest US military operation in the history of the United States. All but the second of the six objectives had been completed by the end of the first day. [2] The following LINK takes you to a pdf form of the official document prepared by the Joint Chiefs of Staff on Operation Just Cause. [3]
US Forces
In Panama, the Joint Task Force SOUTH was the tactical command headquarters taken from the XVIII Airborne Corps and it operated under the US Southern Command, also known as SOUTHCOM. The Joint Task Force SOUTH divided the US forces into 4 conventional ground task forces, an aviation task force, and 5 unconventional ground task forces. The 4 conventional forces consisted of Atlantic (3rd Brigade of 7th Infantry), Pacific (1st Brigade of 82nd Airborne Division), Bayonet (193rd Infantry Brigade), and Semper Fi (6th Marine Expeditionary Battalion). The 5 unconventional forces consisted of Green (Army Delta Force), Black (3rd Battalion of 7th Special Forces), Red (the Rangers), Blue, and White (SEAL Units). These task forces were then given their objectives. Depending on the objective, the task forces would either remain together or would split into smaller units to better complete their objective. [4] To get a better understaning of the use of smaller task forces, here is a site that explains smaller task forces in Special Operation Forces. [5]
To give an idea of how large the US force was, a portion of the unites involved follows. The XVIII Airborne Corps, the 7th Infantry Division, the 82nd Airborne Division, the 193rd Infantry Brigade, 3 Battalions of Air Defense Artillery, 3 Adjutant General Corps (band, postal, and personnel service company), the 73rd Armor, the 82nd Aviation, the 123rd Aviation, the 228th Aviation, the 17th Cavalry, 3 Civil Affairs groups, 3 Engineer Battalions, 4 groups of Field Artillery (broken into smaller battalions), the 108th Finance Support Unit, Numerous Light and Airborne Infantry Divisions, 2 Maintenance Battalions, Numerous Medical Groups, Military Intelligence, and Military Police. Now this is a condensed version. The actual list continues for at least another page. [6]
D-Day: 0100 hours, December 20, 1989
All operations were set to begin at 0100 hours, or 12am, on the 20th of December. The US forces acted quickly. The first of US skirmishes with the PDF forces occurred at Pacora River Bridge. The bridge was vital because if US forces captured it, then they would be able to prevent PDF reinforcements from reaching Panama City. Within a few minutes of US/PDF contact, the PDF forces retreated and US forces were able to hold the bridge all day, allowing for other US forces to operate without reinforcements of PDF forces. At the same time, US forces began arriving outside of the Omar Torrijos International Airport and the Tocumen Military Airbase. The seizure of these two objectives would provide a large military base for US reinforcements and would also eliminate a possible escape route for Noriega. Within 45 minutes of the attack, US forces had successfully seized the airport and the airbase. [7]
On a side, and very humorous note, at the time of the attack "Noriega, while visiting a prostitute in the area, was surprised by the parachute assault and hastily departed." [8] By 4am, or 0500 hours, all units of the 82nd Airborne Division had arrived. Around the same time as the assault on the airport and airfield, US SEALs began attacking Paitilla Airfield. [9] Located at this airfield was Noriega's personal plane. By seizing this, the US would be able to eliminate yet another possible escape route for Noriega. While the US successfully seized the airfield and eliminated the guards, the US suffered 4 losses and 8 injuries, the most since the start of the assaults.
At 12am the assault on La Comandancia, the headquarters of the PDF, began. The US forces found themselves facing off with the PDF forces, which had put up the most resistance. Before sunrise the morning of the 20th, attack on the building had ceased and my early afternoon, all the remaining PDF forces had been cleaned out. The US troops suffered 21 injuries, all of which were due to friendly fire from an AC-130. At the same time as the attack on La Comandancia, US forces occupied Fort Amador while PDF forces did the same. Located near the fort was a neighborhood of American citizens. Within an hour of the attack, the US had successfully secured the American neighborhood, shut the gates, and had begun to play a Spanish recording demanding all remaining PDF forces in the fort to surrender. Shortly after, the US began firing at building where PDF forces were known to be. It was not long before they began surrendering and leaving their weapons and cover. Late that afternoon, US forces finished securing the entire fort of PDF forces. This was the first of a few objectives to run over the allotted time given for the operation.
Inside the country of Panama, US forces were also quickly completing their objectives. Some of the objectives that the US forces seized included the Madden Dam, the town of Gamboa, the Renacer Prison, in which a couple of Americans and political leaders were being held, and Cerro Tigre, the electric plant for the Canal Zone. On the Atlantic side of the Panama Canal, US forces attacked and captured Coco Solo Naval Station, Fort Espinar, the France Airfield, the Boyd-Roosevelt Highway, and Rio Hato Military Base.
Heavy measures were taken to ensure the capture of the base. However when US forces arrives, over 900 Airborne Infantry, the PDF forces had already been alerted. The battle only lasted for 5 minutes due to the overwhelming number and firepower of the US forces. [10]
Day After D-Day: December 21, 1989
By the end of the first day, the primary objectives had been secured even though there were still a number of targets to be seized. The remaining primary targets were Panama Viejo, Tinajitas, and Fort Cimarron. The attack on Panama Viejo began at 6am, 0700 hours. Arriving troops ran into trouble when, after exiting the helicopters, began sinking in the thick mud that comprised the Landing Zone near the Bay of Panama. Finally, with the help of civilians in the area, the soldiers were able to begin the attack with the troops from the second Landing Zone. Within 3 hours, Panama Viejo was officially declared secured. In the attack, the US forces battled a total of 20 PDF forces, as most of the soldiers had left prior to the attack, and the US took a commanding zero losses. 5 miles north at the same time, soldiers of the 504th were attacking Tinajintas. After arrival, US forces met brief, yet very fierce, opposition. The capture of Tinajintas would provide protection of US installations near Panama City from PDF mortar fire. Even though command claimed that the area had been secured that afternoon, the US forces were harassed by snipers for 2 days. The final assault began that morning shortly after the other assaults had begun. Located at Fort Cimarron was the 4th Division of the 325th Infantry, renowned for it loyalty to Noriega and its help in saving Noriega during the coup of October 1989. The little resistance put up by the soldiers of the 4th Division was more annoying than effective. At 12am, December 22, 1989 all twenty-seven US objectives had been cleared and secured. [11]
The remaining focus of the United States was the capture of Noriega. Unfortunately, he had slipped through the fingers of US forces. On January 4, 1990 Manuel Noriega was shot and captured by US forces. A couple of years later he would stand trial for drug trafficking money laundering, and racketeering. The capture of Noriega confirmed the success of US forces in Panama. [12]
Summary of Operation Just Cause
By the end of the conflict, an estimated 23 American soldiers had been killed in battle and another 324 wounded in action. Of the PDF forces 450 are believed to have been killed. The most controversy number would be the death toll of civilians. Some reports have a little over 1,000 while another has over 5,000. The number provided by the American military was between 200 and 300. This number has been criticized since its release. The reasons behind the low number of US casualties was the rapid and precise deployment of troops. Their ability to approach and secure their target was the reason for US success. However, the United States' ineffective and dangerous techniques for gaining access to a closed in area quite possibly led to the high number of PDF and civilian deaths. Such methods included rifle fire, grenades, and anti-tank weapons for things such as fences, walls, and doors. Also, the large number of US troops used in the operation caused Just Cause to be the largest force of US troops since World War II. [13]
References
- ↑ Clark, Ramsey, "We Never Heard the Truth" in Holden's Latin America and the United States, Boston: South End Press, 1991. Pg. 321
- ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/just_cause.htm
- ↑ http://www.dtic.mil/doctrine/jel/history/justcaus.pdf
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh/brochures/Just%20Cause/JustCause.htm#OpDec
- ↑ http://specialoperations.com/Operations/Just_Cause/Operation_Profile.htm
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh-pg/documents/panama/unitlst.htm
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh/brochures/Just%20Cause/JustCause.htm#OpDec
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh/brochures/Just%20Cause/JustCause.htm#OpDec
- ↑ http://specialoperations.com/Operations/Just_Cause/patilla.html
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh/brochures/Just%20Cause/JustCause.htm
- ↑ http://www.army.mil/cmh/brochures/Just%20Cause/JustCause.htm#OpDec2
- ↑ Clark, Ramsey, "We Never Heard the Truth" in Holden's Latin America and the United States, Boston: South End Press, 1991. Pg. 321
- ↑ http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/ops/just_cause.htm