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Panama Training
Until the 1950s, systematic training had been at best sporadic
and at worst nonexistent. During the construction of the canal,
United States instructors in police methods were frequently hired,
but none stayed more than a few months, and the turnover hurt the
already inefficient police force. In 1917 Albert R. Lamb was hired
as an instructor for the National Police, and within two years he
had been promoted to the post of inspector general. Even after a
Panamanian was named commander in 1924, Lamb remained as an
inspector and continued to exert an important influence on the
police. He was credited with having created a relatively efficient
force, but discipline, training, and efficiency declined after he
left in 1927.
Police officials during the 1930s and 1940s periodically
recommended the establishment of a police training center, but lack
of funds always prevented action on such recommendations. In 1946
the National Assembly created the Police School (Escuela de
Policía), but even after that decree and even with Remón as
commander, the police had difficulties securing sufficient funds to
operate a school. As president, Remón was instrumental in arranging
for a Venezuelan military mission to advise and assist in
establishing the National Guard School (Escuela de Formación de
Guardias Nacionales), forerunner of the present-day CIM and the
Police Training Academy (Academía de Capacitación Policial--
ACAPOL).
Under the leadership of General Torrijos, training for both
officers and enlisted men improved considerably. In the 1970s,
officer training shifted from Central to South America, resulting
in a significant upgrading in the quality of professional education
received. Although many officers were still promoted from the
ranks, the percentage of those with academy training gradually
increased. By 1979 some 315 of 700 officers were academy graduates.
Since the early 1950s, approximately 5,000 Panamanian officers
and enlisted men have been trained by the United States. Although
some of these students were sent to the United States, the majority
attended United States facilities located in the former Canal Zone,
including the United States Army School of the Americas, the InterAmerican Air Forces Academy at Albrook Air Force Base, and the
Small Craft Instruction and Training School at the Naval Support
Facility near the Pacific end of the canal. Although in the late
1980s some FDP personnel still received training at United States
facilities, their numbers were reduced because the School of the
Americas moved to Fort Benning, Georgia in 1984. Nevertheless, for
the majority of Panamanian officers, the command and staff course
given at the School of the Americas remained the final rung on the
educational ladder.
One of the FDP's most important training facilities was the CIM
located near Panama City at Fort Cimarrón. It housed the Airborne
School and offered a parachute-rigging course in addition to its
responsibility for the basic training of recruits and the refresher
training of all military personnel, in subjects such as patrolling,
first aid, and map reading. Besides providing regular teaching and
field training, the facility assisted in the development of new
courses of instruction designed to keep the organization abreast of
innovations and current methods of military operation. Its
commandant, usually a major or captain, was assisted by an
executive officer and a staff and faculty consisting of officers
and sergeants.
Another Panamanian school, the General Tomás Herrera Military
Institute (Instituto Militar General Tomás Herrera), was located at
Omar Torrijos Military Base in Río Hato. Established in 1974 on the
model of a Peruvian military high school, it offered training for
young people who might some day choose to pursue a military career.
It also provided the Defense Forces with technically trained
personnel, proficient in developmental fields such as agronomy. As
of 1986, ten classes had been graduated from the institute and many
of its students were receiving scholarships to various military
academies throughout Latin America.
The José Domingo Espinar Educational Center was an FDP training
facility that replaced the United States Army School of the
Americas. Located near Colón, this center was named after the
Panamanian patriot who first declared territorial independence from
Colombia. It had a number of different faculties and offered a
variety of courses on subjects such as basic criminal
investigations, basic intelligence, English language, and radio
communications. It also offered a promotion course for future
noncommissioned officers. The ACAPOL, which offered basic police
training, was housed in this facility. The academy offered a wide
variety of courses to both officers and enlisted personnel, and
high-level seminars dealing with national problems. The importance
of this facility within the educational structure of the Defense
Forces was indicated by the fact that its commander in the mid1980s was a lieutenant colonel.
Other FDP training facilities included the Benjamín Ruíz School
for Noncommissioned Officers (Escuela de Suboficiales Benjamín
Ruíz), the Command and Special Operations School (Escuela de
Comando y Operaciones Especiales), and the Pana-Jungla School
(Escuela Pana-Jungla). The School for Noncommissioned Officers was
established in 1986 at Omar Torrijos Military Base. It was
primarily a training facility designed to identify prospective
second lieutenants. Secondary school graduates went through a twoyear training program and were awarded the rank of first sergeant.
Following two years of "on-the-job training' and additional
courses, the best of the group became second lieutenants. The
Command and Special Operations School was a facility for training
members of the infantry companies in various types of special
activities. Graduates were mostly sergeants with more than ten
years of military service. The Pana-Jungla School was located in
Bocas del Toro Province along the Río Teribe and near the Costa
Rican border. Commanded by a major, it offered training in jungle
survival skills to both Panamanian soldiers and military personnel
from other countries.
Data as of December 1987
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