Special Operations.Com
OPERATION JUST CAUSE
1989 - 1990
(continued from page one)
The Attack on Rio Hato Airfield
The Panamanian military base near the small village
of Rio Hato was located 65 miles west of Panama City.
It contained a large airfield and was home to two
PDF companies: the 6th Rifle Company (Mechanized),
equipped with 19 armored cars, and the 7th Rifle Company,
an elite counterinsurgency force known to be loyal
to Noriega. In addition, the base housed a PDF engineer
platoon and PDF training schools. TF RED's mission
was to destroy PDF forces and seize the airfield for
follow on missions. The total number of PDF forces
was estimated to exceed 500 men; these units, particularly
the 7th Rifle Company, were expected to offer stiff
opposition to the TF RED forces.
The Rio Hato military base ranged along the coastline
of the Gulf of Panama, with the airfield runway nearly
perpendicular to the shoreline. The barracks for the
6th and 7th Companies were on the runway's southwest
side. There were a number of beach houses along a
dirt lane to the south of the runway; Manuel Noriega
owned (and occasionally used) one of them. To the
west of the runway, and above the 6th and 7th Companies'
barracks, was the PDF school complex. The Pan-American
highway bisected the airfield.
The TF RED commander, Colonel Kernan, led the forces
assaulting Rio Hato, which included the 2nd Ranger
Battalion, the 3rd Ranger Battalion (minus one company,
used in the Torrijos/Tocumen assault), and elements
of the 4th Psychological Operations Group, Civil Affairs
assets, Air Force Special Tactics teams, and Marine
Corps Air/Naval Gunfire liaison troops. Aerial fire
support was provided by two F-1177A fighters, two
AH-64 and four AH-6 helicopters, and one AC-130H gunship.
The 2nd and 3rd Battalions split the responsibility
for taking and holding ground: the 2nd was to parachute
into the area along the southern edge of the runway
and around the PDF barracks and engage the enemy,
while the 3rd was to ~mp farther north, securing the
area from counterattacks and clearing the runway.
Thirteen C-130 transports were cross-loaded with
Rangers from both battalions. The aircraft were to
approach from the south, with the 2nd Battalion soldiers
parachuting first and the 3rd Battalion troops jumping
second. The 2nd Battalion's Company A would assault
and clear the PDF school complex. Company B, 2nd Battalion
would assault the 7th Company from the east, and if
it was still effective after destroying that unit
(planners had anticipated 30 percent casualties),
it would push westward and clear the 6th Company area.
If Company B suffered excessive casualties, Company
C would take over the assault. If Company B did not
need reinforcement, then Company C would seize Noriega's
beach house.
Though the Rangers wanted the F-117As to hit the
PDF barracks, the bombing targets had been changed
to an area near the barracks in the hope of frightening,
rather than killing, the PDF. The bombs landed
on schedule, at H-Hour, although one missed its target
and exploded harmlessly near the beach. The AH-6s
and AC-130H aircraft immediately followed with attacks
on their designated targets. Of particular importance,
the AC-130H destroyed two anti-aircraft positions
before the Rangers jumped.
In spite of the three minute air attack, the Rangers
jumped into effective anti-aircraft machine-gun fire.
Eleven of the aircraft carrying Rangers were hit,
and one Ranger was hit by anti-aircraft fire while
still in the aircraft. The jump, however, went on
as scheduled at 0103. Those Rangers who had jumped
into Grenada in 1983 for Operation URGENT FURY judged
the enemy fire to have been heavier at Rio Hato.
Once on the ground, the 2nd Battalion Rangers saw
a lot of tracers, but were able to return fire and
assemble without too much trouble. The PDF troops
apparently had left their barracks upon learning that
the U.S. troops were coming and had either set up
defenses on and around the airfield, or fled. As planned,
Company A assembled before the other units and moved
up to clear the school complex.
As Company A was advancing on the school complex,
Company B began its assault on the 7th Company area.
After using demolition charges to blow holes in the
wall surrounding the compound, Company B moved in
and set about clearing each building, room by room.
Having cleared the 7th's area without serious losses,
Company B continued to push west and had begun clearing
the 6th Company area by dawn on 21 December. Company
B's success freed Company C to assault Noriega's beach
house area two hours after H-Hour, and the Rangers
cleared the house by morning.
Company B finished clearing the 6th Company barracks
area that morning as well and, with all of its initial
assault objectives secured, continued to advance west
into the small village inhabited by the families of
the PDF troops. The Rangers detained all the adult
males found there for questioning, assuming the vast
majority were PDF troops in hiding.
The 3rd Battalion Rangers, who were loaded first
in each of the 13 C-130s, jumped after the 2nd Battalion.
By the time they jumped into the warm, humid night,
the PDF knew they were coming. The 3rd's airborne
assault included heavy "drops" of four jeeps
and six motorcycles. Company As motorcycles were to
race north along the runway and screen the Americans
from possible counterattacks, while the Company B
jeep teams were to establish blocking positions and
watch for possible PDF activities.
When the Company A Rangers jumped, they scattered
from south of the Pan American Highway to well north
of it. This company's primary mission was to neutralize
the .50 caliber machine gun positioned on the concrete
and stone entryway leading to the Rio Hato airfield.
By happenstance, the company's executive officer and
a few other Rangers landed within 30 feet of the entryway;
they killed the PDF gunner as he was firing at the
other Rangers parachuting to the ground and took possession
of the fortified position.
Other Company A elements had begun to clear the NCO
academy headquarters and classroom areas. The Rangers
encountered more PDF soldiers than expected, and in
the words of LTC Joseph Hunt, 3rd battalion commander,
these PDF soldiers "gave them a good run for
their money for about 30 minutes." As the Rangers
aggressively cleared the NCO academy buildings, the
Panamanian soldiers abandoned their resistance and
fled from the advancing Rangers. Company A Rangers
did capture about 167 cadets. Without their superior
fire discipline and training, the Rangers could have
easily attacked these cadets before learning that
they were unarmed, frightened, and eager to surrender.
Within an hour of H-Hour, Company A had secured its
objectives.
Company B, 3rd Battalion severed the Pan American
Highway on the east side of the airfield. There was
more traffic on the Pan American Highway than expected,
and the blocking element fired warning shots at a
few vehicles to force them to turn around. The largest
Company B element concentrated on clearing the runway
south of the highway so that aircraft could begin
landing, and this proved more time-consuming than
anticipated. The Rangers quickly removed such obstacles
as barrels, barbed wire, and trucks, but needed extra
time to pick up the hundreds of parachutes left behind
by the airborne assault. Company B Rangers also took
control of the air traffic control tower. Approximately
1'A hours into the operation, the Rangers finished
clearing the runway, and C-1305 began landing
with more people and additional supplies.
The Rangers who were assigned to end PDF resistance
north of the Pan American Highway encountered a surprising
amount of PDF opposition. Here, as night turned to
dawn, some PDF soldiers conducted a deliberate withdrawal,
fighting from building to building through a small
built-up area. A Ranger element engaged the PDF and
called for fire support from two AH-6 helicopter gunships.
The gunships fired on the buildings, but unbeknownst
to the pilots, an element of Rangers moved into a
tree line to flank the PDF. As the gunships
came around for a second pass, one pilot saw movement
in the trees and, believing they were PDF soldiers,
fired upon the Rangers, killing 2 and wounding 4.
The movement of the Rangers into the tree line had
not been radioed to the AH-6 pilots.
Having secured the military complex on 20 December,
the Rangers conducted follow-on missions out of Rio
Hato for the next three days. At 2200 on 20 December,
Company A, 2nd Battalion left Rio Hato aboard special
operations helicopters and, at 0230 on the 21st, took
over security for the American embassy in Panama City.
That same day, the Rangers participated in one of
the early surrender missions-what became known as
the "Ma Bell" Campaign-when COL Kernan brought
the PDF leaders of the Penonome Prison and 6th Military
Zone Headquarters to Rio Hato to discuss their forces'
surrender. Later, with an AC-130H circling overhead,
the 3rd Battalion's Company A accepted the surrender
of the town's garrison; then, the Rangers demonstrated
a "dry run" assault on the prison, showing
the Panamanians what would have happened to them if
they had resisted. Word of this display of force and
surrender quickly spread throughout the remaining
cuartels in the countryside. After relocating to Howard
AFB, the Rangers, in conjunction with Special Forces
soldiers, conducted the "Ma Bell" surrender
of David, a major city in western Panama.
The Rangers also performed stability operations in
areas around Panama City. In response to civil disturbances
and continued PDF and Dignity Battalion (Noriega's
paramilitary supporters) activities, the 2nd Battalion,
75th Rangers set up operations in Area of Operation
(AO) Diaz, an area containing the towns of Alcalde
Diaz and Las Cumbres, on 27 December.
With the assistance of PSYOP forces, they created
a visible American presence by establishing checkpoints
and blocking positions, and running "saturation"
patrols and night ambushes. While in AO Diaz, the
Rangers rounded up former PDF and Dignity Battalion
members and seized several caches of weapons. The
American presence of Rangers, PSYOP and Civil Affairs
soldiers stabilized the area and allowed the new government
to reestablish control.
The Rangers came out of Panama with
a number of lessons learned. The tactical plan was
well prepared, coordinated, and rehearsed, enabling
the successful completion of their missions. JUST
CAUSE validated the Rangers' mission essential procedures
and techniques, and their responsiveness to contingencies.
Lessons learned included recognizing the importance
of intelligence gathering and management; planning
logistical support for follow-on missions; emphasizing
training and equipping the regiment for military operations
in urban areas; and enhancing the regiment's interaction
with conventional and joint forces through the use
of liaison elements.
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