United States invasion of Panama The United States Invasion of Panama , code - named Operation Just Cause , was the invasion of Panama by the United States in December 1989 . It occurred during the administration of U . S . President George H . W . Bush , and ten years after the Torrijos – Carter Treaties were ratified to transfer control of the Panama Canal from the United States to Panama by 1 January 2000 . During the invasion , " de facto " Panamanian leader , general , and dictator Manuel Noriega was deposed , president - elect Guillermo Endara sworn into office , and the Panamanian Defense Force dissolved . Background . The United States long maintained numerous military bases and a substantial garrison throughout the Canal Zone to protect the American - owned Panama Canal and to maintain American control of this strategically important area . On 7 September 1977 , President of the United States Jimmy Carter and the " de facto " leader of Panama , General Omar Torrijos , signed Torrijos – Carter Treaties , which set in motion the process of handing over the Panama Canal to Panamanian control by the year 2000 . Although the canal was destined for Panamanian administration , the military bases remained and one condition of the transfer was that the canal would remain open for American shipping . Meanwhile , the U . S . had long - standing relations with General Noriega . Noriega served as a U . S . intelligence asset and paid informant of the Central Intelligence Agency from 1967 , including the period when Bush was head of the CIA ( 1976 – 77 ) . Noriega had sided with the U . S . rather than the USSR in Central America , notably in sabotaging the forces of the Sandinista government in Nicaragua , and the revolutionaries of the FMLN group in El Salvador . Noriega received upwards of $ 100 , 000 per year from the 1960s until the 1980s , when his salary was increased to $ 200 , 000 per year . Although he worked with the Drug Enforcement Administration to restrict illegal drug shipments , he was known to simultaneously accept significant financial support from drug dealers , because he facilitated the laundering of drug money , and through Noriega they received protection from DEA investigations due to his special relationship with the CIA . Beginning in the middle of the 1980s , relations between Noriega and the United States began to deteriorate . In 1986 , U . S . President Ronald Reagan opened negotiations with General Noriega , requesting that the Panamanian leader step down after he was publicly exposed in the " New York Times " by Seymour Hersh , and later exposed in the Iran - Contra Scandal . Reagan pressured him with several drug - related indictments in U . S . courts ; however , since extradition laws between Panama and the U . S . were weak , Noriega deemed this threat not credible and did not submit to Reagan ' s demands . In 1988 , Elliot Abrams and others in the Pentagon began pushing for a U . S . invasion , but Reagan refused , due to Bush ' s ties to Noriega through his previous positions in the CIA and the Task Force on Drugs , and their potentially negative impact on Bush ' s presidential campaign . Later negotiations involved dropping the drug - trafficking indictments . In March 1988 , an attempted coup against the government of Panama was resisted by Noriega ' s forces . As relations continued to deteriorate , Noriega appeared to shift his Cold War allegiance towards the Soviet bloc , soliciting and receiving military aid from Cuba , Nicaragua , and Libya . American military planners began preparing contingency plans for action against Panama . In May 1989 , during the Panamanian national elections , an alliance of parties opposed to the military dictatorship of Noriega counted results from the country ' s election precincts before they were sent to the district centers . Their tally showed their candidate , Guillermo Endara , defeating Carlos Duque , candidate of a pro - Noriega coalition , by a nearly 3 - to - 1 margin . Endara was beaten up by Noriega supporters the next day in his motorcade . Noriega declared the election null and maintained power by force , making him unpopular among Panamanians . Noriega ' s government insisted that it had won the presidential election and that irregularities had been on the part of U . S . - backed candidates from opposition parties . Bush called on Noriega to honor the will of the Panamanian people . As tensions continued to escalate , the United States reinforced its Canal Zone garrison , and increased the tempo of training operations and other activities intended to put pressure on Noriega . In October 1989 , Noriega foiled a second coup attempt by members of the Panamanian Defense Forces ( PDF ) , led by Major Moisés Giroldi . Pressure mounted on Bush as the media labeled him a " wimp " for failing to aid Panama in spite of campaign rhetoric that called for a tough stand against known drug traffickers . Bush declared that the U . S . would not negotiate with a known drug trafficker and denied having any knowledge of Noriega ' s involvement with the drug trade prior to his February 1988 indictment , although Bush had met with Noriega while Director of the CIA and had been the Chair of the Task Force on Drugs while Vice President . On 15 December , the Panamanian general assembly passed a resolution declaring that the actions of the United States had caused a state of war to exist between Panama and the United States . The sense of crisis was greatly intensified by an incident the next day . Four U . S . military personnel were stopped at a roadblock around 9 : 00 PM outside PDF headquarters in the " El Chorrillo " neighborhood of Panama City . The four officers were Marine Captain Richard E . Hadded , Navy Lieutenant Michael J . Wilson , Army Captain Barry L . Rainwater , and Marine First Lieutenant Robert Paz . The four officers had left the Fort Clayton military base and were on their way to have dinner at the Marriott Hotel in downtown Panama City . The U . S . Department of Defense reported that the servicemen had been unarmed and in a private vehicle and that they attempted to flee the scene only after their vehicle was surrounded by an angry crowd of civilians and PDF troops . The PDF asserted later that the Americans were armed and on a reconnaissance mission . The PDF opened fire on the four officers as they attempted to flee the angry mob . Lieutenant Paz was fatally wounded by a round that entered the rear of the vehicle and struck him in the back . Captain Hadded , the driver of the vehicle , was also wounded in the foot . Paz was rushed to Gorgas Army Hospital but died of his wounds . He received the Purple Heart posthumously . According to U . S . military sources , a U . S . naval officer and his wife witnessed the incident and were subsequently detained by Panamanian Defense Force soldiers . While in police custody , they were assaulted by the PDF . The U . S . naval officer spent two weeks in the hospital recovering from his beating . His wife was not injured but was sexually threatened by PDF soldiers . The next day , President Bush ordered the execution of the Panama invasion plan ; the military set H - Hour as 0100 on 20 December . United States ' justification for the invasion . The official U . S . justification for the invasion was articulated by President George H . W . Bush on the morning of 20 December 1989 , a few hours after the start of the operation . Bush listed four reasons for the invasion : U . S . military forces were instructed to begin maneuvers and activities within the restrictions of the Torrijos - Carter Treaties , such as ignoring PDF roadblocks and conducting short - notice " Category Three " military exercises on security - sensitive targets , with the express goal of provoking PDF soldiers . U . S . SOUTHCOM kept a list of abuses against U . S . servicemen and civilians by the PDF while the orders to incite PDF soldiers were in place . As for the Panamanian legislature ' s declaration of a state of war between the U . S . and Panama , Noriega insists that this statement referred to a state of war directed by the U . S . against Panama , in the form of what he claimed were harsh economic sanctions and constant , provocative military maneuvers ( Operations Purple Storm and Sand Flea ) that were prohibited by the Torrijos - Carter Treaties . The U . S . had turned a blind eye to Noriega ' s involvement in drug trafficking since the 1970s . Noriega was then singled out for direct involvement in these drug trafficking operations due to the widespread public knowledge of his involvement in money laundering , drug activities , political murder , and human rights abuses . Bush ' s four reasons for the invasion provided sufficient justification to establish bipartisan Congressional approval and support for the invasion . However , the secrecy before initiation , the speed and success of the invasion itself , and U . S . public support for it ( 80 % public approval ) did not allow Democrats to object to Bush ' s decision to use military force . Contemporary studies suggest that Bush decided to invade for domestic political reasons , citing scarce strategic reasoning for the U . S . to invade and immediate withdrawal without establishing the structure to enforce the interests that Bush used to justify the invasion . Two days before the invasion , on 18 December , Panama announced that the U . S . was planning an invasion of Panama . Invasion . The U . S . Army , U . S . Air Force , U . S . Navy , and U . S . Marines participated in Operation Just Cause . Ground forces consisted of combat elements of the XVIII Airborne Corps , the 82nd Airborne Division , the 7th Infantry Division ( Light ) , the 75th Ranger Regiment , a Joint Special Operations Task Force , elements of the 5th Infantry Division ( 1st Battalion , 61st U . S . Infantry and 4th Battalion , 6th United States Infantry ( replacing 1 / 61st in September 1989 ) ) , 1138th Military Police Company of the Missouri Army National Guard , 193rd Infantry Brigade , 508th Infantry Regiment , the 59th Engineer Co . ( Sappers ) , Marine Security Forces Battalion Panama , and elements from the 3rd Battalion , 6th Marine Regiment , Marine Fleet Antiterrorism Security Teams , 2nd Light Armored Reconnaissance Battalion , and 2nd Marine Logistics Group 39th Combat Engineer Btn . Charlie Co . , air logistic support was provided by the 22nd Air Force with air assets from the 60th , 62nd , and 63rd military airlift wings . The military incursion into Panama began on 20 December 1989 , at 1 : 00 a . m . local time . The operation involved 27 , 684 U . S . troops and over 300 aircraft , including C - 130 Hercules tactical transports flown by the 317th Tactical Airlift Wing ( which was equipped with the Adverse Weather Aerial Delivery System or AWADS ) and 314th Tactical Airlift Wing , AC - 130 Spectre gunship , OA - 37B Dragonfly observation and attack aircraft , C - 141 Starlifter and C - 5 Galaxy strategic transports , F - 117A Nighthawk stealth aircraft flown by the 37th Tactical Fighter Wing , and AH - 64 Apache attack helicopter . The invasion of Panama was the first combat deployment for the AH - 64 , the HMMWV , and the F - 117A . Panamanian radar units were jammed by two EF - 111A s of the 390th ECS , 366th TFW . These aircraft were deployed against the 16 , 000 members of the PDF . The operation began with an assault of strategic installations , such as the civilian Punta Paitilla Airport in Panama City and a PDF garrison and airfield at Rio Hato , where Noriega also maintained a residence . U . S . Navy SEALs destroyed Noriega ' s private jet and a Panamanian gunboat . A Panamanian ambush killed four SEALs and wounded nine . Other military command centers throughout the country were also attacked . The attack on the central headquarters of the PDF ( referred to as " La Comandancia " ) touched off several fires , one of which destroyed most of the adjoining and heavily populated " El Chorrillo " neighborhood in downtown Panama City . During the firefight at the Comandancia , the PDF downed two special operations helicopters and forced one OH - 6 Little Bird to crash - land in the Panama Canal . Fort Amador was secured by elements of the 1st Battalion ( Airborne ) , 508th Parachute Infantry Regiment , and 59th Engineer Company ( sappers ) in a nighttime air assault which secured the fort in the early hours of 20 December . Fort Amador was a key position because of its relationship to the large oil farms adjacent to the canal , the Bridge of the Americas over the canal , and the Pacific entrance to the Panama Canal . Key command and control elements of the PDF were stationed there . C Company 1st Battalion ( Airborne ) 508th PIR was assigned the task of securing La Commandancia . Furthermore , Fort Amador had a large U . S . housing district that needed to be secured to prevent the PDF from taking U . S . citizens as hostages . This position also protected the left flank of the attack on the Comadancia and the securing of the " El Chorrillos " neighbourhood , guarded by Dignity Battalions , Noriega supporters that the U . S . forces sometimes referred to as " Dingbats " . A few hours after the invasion began , Guillermo Endara was sworn in at Fort Clayton . According to The Los Angeles Times , Endara was the " presumed winner " in the presidential election which had been scheduled earlier that year . A platoon from the 1138th Military Police Company , Missouri Army National Guard , which was on a routine two - week rotation to Panama was called upon to set up a detainee camp on Empire Range to handle the mass of civilian and military detainees . This unit made history by being the first National Guard unit called into active service since the Vietnam War . Noriega ' s capture . Operation Nifty Package was an operation launched by Navy SEALs to prevent Noriega ' s escape . They sank Noriega ' s boat and destroyed his jet , at a cost of four killed and nine wounded . Military operations continued for several weeks , mainly against military units of the Panamanian army . Noriega remained at large for several days , but realizing he had few options in the face of a massive manhunt and a $ 1 million reward for his capture , he obtained refuge in the Vatican diplomatic mission in Panama City . The U . S . military ' s psychological pressure on him and diplomatic pressure on the Vatican mission , however , was relentless , as was the playing of loud rock - and - roll music day and night in a densely populated area . The report of the Office of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff maintains that the music was used principally to prevent parabolic microphone s from being used to eavesdrop on negotiations , and not as a psychological weapon based around Noriega ' s supposed loathing of rock music . Noriega finally surrendered to the U . S . military on 3 January 1990 . He was immediately put on an MC - 130E Combat Talon I aircraft and flown to the U . S . While some U . S . Marine units continued their deployment , others that had been deployed since 3 October 1989 , began returning on 12 January 1990 . Along with units of the 193rd Infantry Brigade , 508th Airborne Infantry , and 59th Engineer Company ( Sapper ) 16th Military Police Brigade , these units continued " police " patrols throughout Panama City and areas west of the canal to restore law and order and support the newly installed government ( under the moniker " Operation Promote Liberty " ) . Two of these units were 5th BN 21st Infantry ( Light ) of the 7th Light Infantry Division and the 555th Military Police , who had been in the country since 20 December 1989 . Another was Kilo Co . 3BN 6MAR , initially deployed on 1 October 1989 , and remaining deployed in the jungles surrounding Howard Air Force Base until April 1990 . All three of these units fought the PDF and then trained the Panamanian Police Force , composed of former PDF members . Casualties . According to official Pentagon figures , 516 Panamanians were killed during the invasion ; however , an internal Army memo estimated the number at 1 , 000 . The UN estimated 500 deaths whilst Americas Watch found that around 300 civilians died . President Guillermo Endara said that " less than 600 Panamanians " died during the entire invasion . The U . S . lost 23 troops and 325 were wounded ( WIA ) . The U . S . Southern Command , then based on Quarry Heights in Panama , estimated the number of Panamanian military dead at 205 , lower than its original estimate of 314 . Civilian fatalities include an American schoolteacher working in Panama and Spanish freelance press photographer José Manuel Rodríguez . Human Rights Watch ' s 1991 report on Panama in the post - invasion aftermath stated that even with some uncertainties about the scale of civilian casualties , the figures are " still troublesome " because [ Panama ' s civilian deaths ] reveal that the " surgical operation " by American forces inflicted a toll in civilian lives that was at least four - and - a - half times higher than military casualties in the enemy , and twelve or thirteen times higher than the casualties suffered by U . S . troops . By themselves , these ratios suggest that the rule of proportionality and the duty to minimize harm to civilians , where doing so would not compromise a legitimate military objective , were not faithfully observed by the invading U . S . forces . For us , the controversy over the number of civilian casualties should not obscure the important debate on the manner in which those people died . The Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Central America ( CODEHUCA ) estimated 2 , 500 – 3 , 000 deaths , and the Commission for the Defense of Human Rights in Panama ( Comisión Nacional de Derechos Humanos de Panamá , CONADEHUPA ) estimated 3 , 500 deaths . A report by former Attorney General Ramsey Clark , claimed over 4 , 000 deaths . The report also concluded that " neither Panamanian nor U . S . governments provided a careful accounting of non - lethal injuries " and that " relief efforts were inadequate to meet the basic needs of thousands of civilians made homeless by the invasion . " The report estimated the number of displaced civilians to be over 15 , 000 , whereas the U . S . military provided support for only 3 , 000 of these . Origin of the name " Operation Just Cause " . Operation plans directed against Panama evolved from plans designed to defend the Panama Canal . They became more aggressive as the situation between the two nations deteriorated . The " Prayer Book " series of plans included rehearsals for a possible clash ( Operation Purple Storm ) and missions to secure U . S . sites ( Operation Bushmaster ) . Eventually , these plans became " Operation Blue Spoon " , which was then renamed to " Operation Just Cause " . The Pentagon renamed the operation " Just Cause " in order to sustain the perceived legitimacy of the invasion throughout the operation . General Colin Powell said that he liked the name because " even our severest critics would have to utter ' Just Cause ' while denouncing us . " The post - invasion civil - military operation designed to stabilize the situation , support the U . S . - installed government , and restore basic services was originally planned as " Operation Blind Logic " , but was renamed " Operation Promote Liberty " by the Pentagon on the eve of the invasion . The Panamanian name for the Operation is " La Invasión " ( " The Invasion " ) . The original operation , in which U . S . troops were deployed to Panama in the spring of 1989 , was called " Operation Nimrod Dancer " . Local and international reactions . The invasion of Panama provoked international outrage . Some countries charged that the U . S . had committed an act of aggression by invading Panama and was trying to conceal a new manifestation of its interventionist policy of force in Latin America . On 29 December , the General Assembly of the United Nations voted 75 – 20 , with 40 abstentions , to condemn the invasion as a flagrant violation of international law . On 22 December , the Organization of American States passed a resolution deploring the invasion and calling for withdrawal of U . S . troops , as well as a resolution condemning the violation of the diplomatic status of the Nicaraguan Embassy in Panama by U . S . Special Forces who had entered the building . At the UN Security Council , after discussing the issue over several days , a draft resolution demanding the immediate withdrawal of U . S . forces from Panama was vetoed on 23 December by three of the permanent members of the Security Council , France , United Kingdom , and the United States , who cited its right of self - defense of 35 , 000 Americans present on the Panama Canal . Peru recalled its ambassador from the U . S . in protest of the invasion . Some claim that the Panamanian people overwhelmingly supported the invasion . According to a CBS poll , 92 % of Panamanian adults supported the U . S . incursion , and 76 % wished that U . S . forces had invaded in October during the coup . However , others dispute this finding , asserting that the Panamanian surveys were conducted in wealthy , English - speaking neighborhoods in Panama City , among Panamanians most likely to support U . S . actions . Human Rights Watch described the reaction of the civilian population to the invasion as " generally sympathetic " . In 2006 , one author opined that " President Bush had not defended the hemisphere against European aggression under the guise of the Monroe Doctrine , or used the threat of Communist proliferation to take action , but instead he had used the US military to remove a hostile and problematic Latin American dictator from power because it was in the best interests of the United States to do so . " Eighteen years after the invasion , Panama ' s National Assembly unanimously declared 20 December 2007 to be a day of national mourning . The resolution was vetoed by President Torrijos . According to Robert Pastor , a former U . S . national security advisor , 74 % of Americans polled approved of the action . Studies by Jeff Cohen and others of Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting have attributed this support to the mainstream media ' s intentional exclusion of critical viewpoints from television reporting preceding the invasion . The " Washington Post " disclosed several rulings of the Office of Legal Counsel , issued shortly before the invasion , in regards to the U . S . armed forces being charged with making an arrest abroad . One ruling interpreted the Executive Order against Assassination of Foreign Leaders , which prohibits the intentional killing of foreign leaders , as suggesting that accidental killings would be acceptable foreign policy . Another ruling concluded that the Posse Comitatus Act of 1878 , which prohibits the armed forces from making arrests without Congressional authorization , is effective only within the boundaries of the U . S . , such that the military could be used as a police force abroad — for example , in Panama , to enforce a federal court warrant against Noriega . Aftermath . Guillermo Endara , in hiding , was sworn in as president by a judge on the night preceding the invasion . In later years , he staged a hunger strike , calling attention to the poverty and homelessness left in the wake of both the Noriega years and the destruction caused by the U . S . invasion . On 19 July 1990 , a group of 60 companies based in Panama filed a lawsuit against the U . S . government in Federal District Court in New York City alleging that the U . S . action against Panama was " done in a tortuous , careless and negligent manner with disregard for the property of innocent Panamanian residents " . Most of the businesses had insurance , but the insurers either went bankrupt or refused to pay , claiming that acts of war are not covered . About 20 , 000 people lost their homes and became refugees as a result of urban warfare . About 2 , 700 families that were displaced by the Chorrillo fire were each given $ 6 , 500 by the U . S . to build a new house or apartment in selected areas in or near the city . However , numerous problems were reported with the new constructions just two years after the invasion . The government of Guillermo Endara designated the first anniversary of the U . S . invasion a " national day of reflection " . On that day hundreds of Panamanians marked the day with a " black march " through the streets of Panama City to denounce the U . S . invasion and Endara ' s economic policies . Protesters echoed claims that 3 , 000 people were killed as a result of U . S . military action . Since Noriega ' s ouster , Panama has had four presidential elections , with candidates from opposing parties succeeding each other in the Palacio de las Garzas . Panama ' s press , however , is still subject to numerous restrictions . On 10 February 1990 , the Endara government abolished Panama ' s military and reformed the security apparatus by creating the Panamanian Public Forces . In 1994 , a constitutional amendment permanently abolished the military of Panama . Concurrent with a severe recession in Latin America throughout the 1990s , Panama ' s GDP recovered by 1993 , but very high unemployment remained a serious problem . Noriega was brought to the U . S . to await trial . One of the charges brought against him was dropped when what had been widely reported as 50 kilograms of cocaine was revealed to be tamale s . Timeline . Information in this section September 1987 November 1987 February 1988 March 1988 April 1988 May 1989 June – September 1989 October 1989 December 1989 D - Day , 20 December 1989 3 January 1990 ( D - Day + 14 ) 31 January 1990 ( D - Day + 42 ) September 1994 ( D - Day + approximately 4 . 5 years ) Major operations and U . S . units involved . Operations . All 27 objectives related to the Panamanian Defense Force were completed on D - Day , 20 December 1989 . As initial forces moved to new objectives , follow - on forces from the 7th Infantry Division ( L ) moved into the western areas of Panama and into Panama City . 19 December 1989 ( D - Day - 1 ) 20 December 1989 ( D - Day ) 21 December 1989 ( D - Day + 1 ) 22 December 1989 ( D - Day + 2 ) 23 December 1989 ( D - Day + 3 ) 24 December 1989 ( D - Day + 4 ) 25 December 1989 ( D - Day + 5 ) 3 January 1990 ( D - Day + 14 ) 31 January 1990 ( D - Day + 42 ) September 1994 ( D - Day + approximately 4 . 5 years ) Above information in this section United States military forces involved in Operation Just Cause . United States Southern Command United States Marine Corps United States Special Operations Command United States Air Force United States Navy Notes and references . 60 . 870 - 5a Organizational History Files . XVIII Airborne Corps . 1989 - 90 . Operation JUST CAUSE . Corps Historian ' s Notes . Notebook # 1 . PERMANENT . Corps Historian ' s Personal Notes Recorded During the Operation