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PANAMAX 2012 Spotlight with Senior Master Sgt. Jason Beaudoin

  • Published
  • By Tech. Sgt. Andria Sapp
  • 183rd Fighter Wing Public Affairs
DAVIS-MONTHAN AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. --  Senior Master Sgt. Jason Beaudoin was the superintendant for the A1 Personnel cell for PANAMAX 2012 at Air Forces Southern, Aug. 6-17. PANAMAX is an annual United States Southern Command-sponsored exercise series that focuses on ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal. Forces from 17 nations took part in simulated training scenarios in the waters around the canal and other locations to include Davis-Monthan AFB, Ariz. The main focus of PANAMAX 2012 was to exercise a variety of responses at the request of the governments of Panama and Colombia to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensure its neutrality, and respect national sovereignty. This exercise was designed to execute stability operations under the support of United Nations Security Council Resolutions; provide interoperability training for the participating multinational staffs; and build participating nation capability to plan and execute complex multinational operations.

Question: What was your role in PANAMAX 2012?
Answer: My primary responsibility was to ensure personnel accountability for both real world and the exercise. I was responsible for making sure billeting was available, transportation runs properly, reporting instructions were complete and available, and that the additional manpower needed for the exercise was taken care of.

Question: In what way did your role contribute to the overall objectives of PANAMAX 2012?

Answer: On the real world side, we ensured that the exercise personnel were taking care of so that they could focus on the mission. For the exercise, we kept the Commander, Air Force Forces up-to-date with the status of personnel to ensure mission accomplishment. Without the people, the mission will fail.

Question: What were the lessons learned that you took away from PANAMAX 2012?

Answer: Reception and accountability efficiency were of the utmost importance. We learned how to best take care of our personnel. Also, we developed better training scenarios to prepare us for real world situations.