Path: utzoo!utgpu!watmath!att!cbnews!military
From: ssc-vax!shuksan!major@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Mike Schmitt)
Newsgroups: sci.military
Subject: Re: U.S army in Panama
Message-ID: <10377@cbnews.ATT.COM>
Date: 19 Oct 89 03:33:31 GMT
References: <10148@cbnews.ATT.COM>
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From: ssc-vax!shuksan!major@beaver.cs.washington.edu (Mike Schmitt)

In article <10148@cbnews.ATT.COM>, karlth@rhi.hi.is (Karl Thoroddsen) writes:
> 
> 
> From: karlth@rhi.hi.is (Karl Thoroddsen)
> 
> Now one week after the failed Coup in Panama several questions surface.
> According to news bulletins the U.S army helped the rebels by blocking the
> roads to the presidential palace.  Could the army have done more?
> How strong is the U.S army in Panama? And would an U.S intervention have
> been a mistake, from a military point of view?
 
  
  The US Army South has its headquarters at Fort Clayton but it 
  probably doesn't have too many combat troops at it disposal other than
  Military Police units.  The 193rd Infantry Brigade (Separate) is also
  stationed at Fort Clayton.  I'm not sure of its structure - but it 
  probably has at least 3 (and maybe 4) battalions of infantry - and as
  a separate brigade, its own organic artillery, engineers, and other
  combat support and combat service support elements.  In situations like
  this I would suspect that the priority of effort for the Brigade would
  go something like 
                    1) protection of itself and Americans and facilities
                    2) contigency plans for a variety of response/action 

  And with #2 - remember the Army follows orders.  It did what it was 
  ordered to do.  And if it didn't do anything - it was probably ordered
  not to.  

  Also, at a moment's notice Rapid Deployment troops out of the 82d Airborne
  Division (Fort Bragg, NC) could be airdropped to support the 193d.  But
  they weren't.  

  I'll answer the last from a soldier's point of view:

      Only politicians make mistakes.  The military either succeeds in its
      mission - or fails to do so.  :-) :-)


  major