Just Cause

CMH Pub No. 70–85–1

Cover: Jump into Night, Torrijos Airport, Al Sprague, 1990

Introduction
Operation JUST CAUSE, one of the shortest armed conflicts in American military history, is also one of the most relevant to campaigns as we anticipate them in the twenty-first century. Launched in December 1989—only six weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall— JUST CAUSE was extraordinarilycomplex, involving the deployment of thousands of personnel and equipment from distant military installations and striking almost two-dozen objectives within a 24hour period of time. The surgical precision and decisive maneuver employed by these U.S. forces minimized casualties on both sides of the conflict and avoided excessive damage to Panamanian property. JUST CAUSE represented a bold new era inAmerican military force projection: speed, mass, and precision, coupled with immediate public visibility, concern for collateral damage, and early anticipation of postcombat mandates. The success of JUST CAUSE was greatly facilitated by carefully defined objectives, meticulous planning, sound leadership, and focused training. In spite of uncontrollable compromises in operational security on the eveof the incursion, preparations were so thorough that opposing forces on several objectives were completely surprised by the speed with which U.S. forces moved. Unforeseen weather delays posed serious risks to the entire operation, but leaders at all levels adapted to the exigencies, minimizing adverse effects. Within seventy-two hours of the outbreak of hostilities, all major combat operationsended. U.S. forces quickly shifted from the role of war fighters to that of peacekeepers. All of this took place under extensive media scrutiny at home and abroad. Almost 26,000 U.S. military personnel participated in Operation JUST CAUSE; half of these men and women deployed with virtually no notice to Panama from home stations in the United States. The rapid deployment and the speed with which theconflict was resolved is a tribute to the training and leadership of these personnel, as is the compassion and effectiveness with which they assumed their postcombat roles. Lessons learned from this experience will undoubtedly prove useful in future military operations as well. This brochure was prepared in the U.S. Army Center of Military History by R. Cody Phillips. We hope it will enhance yourapprecia-

tion of the achievements and abilities of the United States Army and of the heritage and history of its soldiers. JOHN S. BROWN Brigadier General, U.S. Army Chief of Military History

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Operation JUST CAUSE: The Incursion into Panama
On 15 December 1989, General Manuel Antonio Noriega, commander of the Panama Defense Forces (PDF), was appointed by his handpicked legislativeassembly to be the “maximum leader” of the country. In his acceptance speech, Noriega announced that “the Republic of Panama is declared to be in a state of war” with the United States. Although he stopped short of advocating an armed response to his imaginary conflict, his incendiary language reflected the tension that had grown between his government and the United States over the previous threeyears. Conveniently, he ignored his involvement with drug trafficking, his repressive political activities, and numerous treaty violations and documented episodes of PDF provocations that had helped to escalate the crisis. His speech set the tone among his followers, who would soon provide the catalyst for a U.S. military intervention into Panama code-named Operation JUST CAUSE. Strategic SettingRelations between Noriega’s government and the United States had become increasingly tense through most of the 1980s. The last two years, however, had been especially difficult. One of Noriega’s principal lieutenants charged the dictator with murder, drug trafficking, and election fraud. Riots broke out in Panama City, and the internal crisis grew worse as the country’s economy deteriorated. To...