Friday, June 20, 2025.
Coming Back Together
There’s something grounding about stepping away from the grind and reconnecting with the men who once shared a uniform, a mission, and a bond forged in places and situations most people will never understand. This trip isn’t just about the laughs, the fishing, or the cold beers (though we won’t pretend those don’t help). It’s about that invisible thread, tied tight years ago, that still holds strong.
Whether you’re a longtime brother-in-arms or one of the new friends pulled into this orbit, you’ve felt it: the ease, the trust, the unspoken understanding. These reunions remind us that while time marches on, and life scatters us across careers, families, and obligations, the connection never fades. It just waits until we make time to come back together.
Here’s to making that time.
Brett Mikkelson
Director, B.M. Investigations, Inc.
TOP NEWS and TIDBITS:
U.S. Hospital Ship to Arrive in Panama: Here Are the Services It Will Offer
The United States Embassy in Panama announced on Tuesday, June 17, that the U.S. Navy hospital ship USNS Comfort is already on its way to Panama.
The vessel will arrive in Panama in the coming days as part of U.S. Southern Command’s Continuing Promise 2025 mission.
During its stay, the Comfort’s medical team will work in coordination with Panama’s Ministry of Health to offer free medical care in various specialties, including general surgery, ophthalmology, dentistry, and preventive medicine. In addition, they will carry out community outreach activities.
The last visit of this hospital ship to Panama was in August 2019, during which medical care was provided to 6,231 people at two land-based medical sites in Colón Province, offering services in general medicine, dentistry, pediatrics, and optometry.
Israeli Ambassador to Panama Warns of Iran’s Nuclear Threat
The Israeli Ambassador to Panama, Itai Bardov, warned that the current conflict with Iran poses an existential threat to his country due to the potential use of nuclear weapons by the Iranian regime.
“Israel is a very small country… if Iran launches a nuclear bomb, it could wipe out Israel, and that is a threat. We cannot live with that,” Bardov stated in an interview with TReporta.
His remarks come amid an unprecedented escalation in the Middle East. According to AFP, on Thursday, Israel warned that “it cannot allow” Iran’s Supreme Leader, Ali Khamenei, to remain in power, following a missile barrage that struck a hospital.
Israel’s Response to Iranian Bombing
Meanwhile, the Israeli military has intensified bombings on suspected nuclear facilities in Iranian territory, marking the seventh day of direct clashes between the two countries.
U.S. President Donald Trump, a strategic ally of Israel, has not ruled out military action to stop Iran’s nuclear program, which is suspected—despite Tehran’s denials—of aiming to develop nuclear weapons.
Panama Free from Arbitration Over Mine Closure
The Panamanian government was facing between six and seven international arbitration cases over the closure of the mine.
President José Raúl Mulino confirmed on the morning of Thursday, June 19, that the company Franco-Nevada has suspended the $5 billion arbitration it had filed against Panama due to the closure of the Cobre Panamá mine.
“With this, the company is now in the clear to begin, when the time is right, conversations with the mining company,” the president revealed during his weekly press conference.
The Panamanian government had been facing several international arbitration proceedings—between six and seven—related to the copper mine’s closure.
In March, the company First Quantum Minerals also announced the suspension of its arbitration case against the Republic of Panama.
The mining company had initiated arbitration proceedings in November 2023 before the International Court of Arbitration of the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) against Panama.
Additionally, it had submitted a notice of intent to arbitrate under the Canada-Panama Free Trade Agreement.
This decision came after Panama’s Supreme Court of Justice ruled on November 28, 2023, that the law contract between the Panamanian state and Cobre Panamá—a subsidiary of First Quantum Minerals—was unconstitutional.
President Mulino had previously stated that the reopening of the Cobre Panamá mine with First Quantum Minerals would depend on the withdrawal of all pending international arbitration cases.
Expansion of the Las Playas Highway in La Chorrera Over 99% Complete
The Ministry of Public Works (MOP) reported that the expansion of the Las Playas Highway to six lanes has reached over 99% completion. Recent works include improvements along the Pan-American Highway, the construction of pedestrian overpasses, and the opening of key U-turns.
Although there is no official inauguration date for this section of the project yet, it is expected to be opened to drivers from the interior of the country, West Panama, and the capital in the coming months.
At the end of last year, the MOP announced the full rehabilitation of the lanes along the Pan-American Highway from the Nazareno sector to La Pesa. The viaduct upgrades included storm drainage work and the replacement of the deteriorated asphalt layer with a new 11-centimeter-thick pavement.
MIDA Activates Emergency Plan for Water Crisis in Azuero After La Villa River Contamination
In response to the severe water crisis affecting the provinces of Herrera and Los Santos, the Ministry of Agricultural Development (MIDA) has intensified its actions to mitigate the effects caused by the contamination of the La Villa River and its tributaries, the main water supply source for the region.
Through the National Directorate of Rural Engineering and Irrigation, and in coordination with the Regional Agricultural Services Directorates of both provinces, MIDA has launched a strategic emergency plan focused on the identification, georeferencing, and assessment of community and private wells that could provide water to meet the needs of the affected population.
As part of this plan, 18 wells have been selected for technical evaluation. The Directorate of the Potable Water and Sanitary Sewerage Subsector (DISAPAS) will be responsible for conducting water quality and quantity tests to ensure the water is safe for human consumption.
Additionally, MIDA will provide specialized equipment, including a drilling machine capable of reaching depths of up to 200 feet, a D5K tractor, a motor grader, and trained technical staff to urgently address needs arising from the scarcity of water resources.
The contamination of the La Villa River forced the temporary shutdown of both water treatment plants that supply a large part of the Azuero population, prompting the National Government to declare a State of Emergency through Cabinet Resolution No. 56, dated June 10, 2025.
As part of the measures adopted, an inter-institutional commission has been formed to identify and evaluate alternative sources of safe water to temporarily supply the residents of the affected areas while a long-term solution is pursued.
Bocas del Toro Without Fuel: Blockades Worsen Mobility Crisis in the Province
The province of Bocas del Toro is facing a critical fuel shortage, causing a significant decrease in vehicle circulation and seriously affecting daily activities in the region.
The situation has worsened with new road closures, including at Finca 11, adding to the blockades already reported at Finca 13 and the bridge over the Changuinola River—key points for land transportation in the area.
Blockades Worsen Mobility Crisis in Bocas del Toro
The lack of access to fuel has begun to affect not only private transportation but also essential services such as food distribution, ambulances, and productive work on banana farms and rural communities.
Authorities have not yet issued an official schedule for reopening the roads nor a contingency plan to supply fuel to the province.
