--- title: "First Space Force guardians graduate from Army jungle school in Panama" description: "Two Space Force officers completed the jungle warfare and survival course, as the military increases its focus on Latin America." date: "2026-09-28" modified: "2026-09-28" authors: - name: "Nicholas Slayton" job_title: "Contributing Editor" link: "https://taskandpurpose.com/authors/nicholas-slayton.md" url: "https://taskandpurpose.com/news/space-force-first-guardians-jungle-school/" categories: - "Americas" - "Around the World" - "Military Branches" - "News" - "Space Force" --- # First Space Force guardians graduate from Army jungle school in Panama ![U.S. Space Force Maj. Alyson Gleason, a student in the Jungle Operations Training Course- Panama, assigned to United States Space Force Headquarters, prepares for an ambush during the jungle culminating exercise at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panamá, Sept. 24, 2026. The JOTC-P’s culminating exercise displays the tactics and skills candidates learned throughout the course to fight and survive in a jungle environment. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge)]() *Space Force Maj. Alyson Gleason prepares for an ambush during the final exercise of the Jungle Operations Training Course- Panama on Sept. 24, 2026. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge.* Space Force guardians are now getting certified in jungle warfare. This month, two officers with the Space Force became the first guardians to graduate from the U.S. Army’s Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama. Maj. Alyson Gleason and Capt. Stephen Brown graduated from the jungle warfare school on Sept. 25, having finished the 18-day course alongside other U.S. and Panamanian troops. The course, held at Panama’s Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, puts participants through a series of lessons, teaching them both combat tactics in the jungle as well as navigation and survival skills, such as foraging. Troops are trained on small-unit tactics such as ambushes and waterborne missions, as well as how to use a machete. The final event, known as the "Green Mile," tests them on all that they have learned. “I’m always interested in challenging myself and the jungle is a beast that we don’t get to tackle very often as Space Force Officers,” Gleason [said in a news release](). “I saw the opportunity, I wanted the chance to work with the Army and the Panamanian partners down here, and I thought this would be a unique place to challenge myself.” ![U.S. Space Force Capt. Stephen Brown, left, and Maj. Alyson Gleason, students in the Jungle Operations Training Course- Panama, pose for a photo during fauna and flora procurement at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panamá, Sept. 12, 2026. Students in the JOTC-P must learn about the essentials of survival such as identifying and utilizing objects and animals found in the jungle’s environment. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge)]() *Space Force Capt. Stephen Brown and Maj. Alyson Gleason recently completed an 18-day-long jungle warfare course in Panama, becoming the first guardians to earn the Jungle tab. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge.* The Space Force’s focus is on what is in orbit, but guardians are terrestrial, not in space yet. Its members operate the service’s satellites, but also deploy in the field to direct communication systems and tools such as jammers. Gleason, assigned to United States Space Force Headquarters, and Brown, with the 392nd Combat Training Squadron based out of Schriever Space Force Base in Colorado, are the first guardians to earn the Jungle tab. As of mid-August, more than 200 U.S. troops had graduated from the course, as well as dozens of Panamanian service members. More than two-thirds of the U.S. graduates were from the Army, with Marines and airmen making up the balance, according to a U.S. Southern Command spokesperson. The first airman [graduated]() from the course in May. In July, the Army [approved]() soldiers to wear the tab as an official skill badge across the service. “I feel grateful for coming here to the jungle, because I try to go through every experience I can,” said Brown. “Not everybody is going to get the opportunity, so when that door opens I think you should always take it.” ![U.S. Space Force Stephen Brown, a student in the Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama, assigned to 392nd Combat Training Squadron, waits to start the Green Mile at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panamá, Sept. 24, 2026. The Green Mile pushes candidates to communicate, work and perform complex tasks under pressure to simulate real-world jungle tactical operations and survival. (U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge)]() *Capt. Stephen Brown, with the 392nd Combat Training Squadron, waits to start the Green Mile at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón, Panamá, Sept. 24, 2026. Army photo by Pfc. Oshon Trowbridge.* The jungle course, long nicknamed the “Green Hell,” had been held at the then-Fort Sherman for years, until the base closed and was handed over to Panama in 199. U.S. troops then trained in Hawaii. Last year, the Army restarted the center in a joint effort with Panama. The renewed focus on jungle operations came as the U.S. military shifted resources, personnel and attention to Latin America. Last year the military built up its forces in the Caribbean, reopening old bases and the jungle course. It launched Operation Southern Spear, a campaign targeting and destroying several small boats that the Pentagon claims are transporting drugs. In January, [the U.S. launched a raid to abduct Venezuela’s President Nicolás Maduro](). This summer, Southern Command established Southern Spear’s successor, Joint Task Force-Western Hemisphere, under which Army Special Forces, Marines and at least two Navy warships are carrying out operations in and around South American countries. Ahead of the raid on Venezuela, Space Force personnel began operating in Southern Command’s area of operations in December. This January, the service [officially established]() a component under the command, following guardians' involvement in the operation in Caracas. ## Author Nicholas Slayton is a contributing editor for Task & Purpose, covering conflict for over 12 years, from the Arab Spring to the war in Ukraine. His previous reporting can be found on the non-profit Aslan Media, The Atlantic, Al Jazeera, The New Republic, The American Prospect, Architectural Digest, The Daily Beast, and the Los Angeles Downtown News. You can reach him at nicholas@taskandpurpose.com or find him on Twitter @NSlayton and Bluesky at @nslayton.bsky.social. ### Author social links [Twitter]()