US Space Force Guardians Complete Jungle School

Military Sentinel, Washington – Two U.S. Space Force Guardians made history by graduating from the U.S. Army’s Jungle Operations Training Course-Panama (JOTC-P), marking the first time members of the military’s newest branch have completed the rigorous tropical combat school and earned the coveted Jungle tab.

Maj. Alyson Gleason, assigned to U.S. Space Force Headquarters, and Capt. Stephen Brown of the 392nd Combat Training Squadron at Schriever Space Force Base, Colorado, graduated from the 18-day curriculum at Aeronaval Base Cristóbal Colón in Panama on Sept. 25. The milestone underscores a growing Pentagon push to embed orbital combat integration directly alongside tactical ground forces operating in austere, denied environments.

Surviving the “Green Hell”

Historically nicknamed the “Green Hell,” the Army’s legacy jungle school at Fort Sherman was shuttered when installations were returned to Panama in 1999, prompting jungle warfare instruction to consolidate primarily under the 25th Infantry Division in Hawaii. In recent months, the U.S. Army revived operations in Panama alongside Panamanian partner forces to re-establish specialized combat training in Central America.

The intensive 18-day syllabus is designed to strip away conventional comforts, pushing service members through extreme physical and mental stress:

• Austere Survival: Foraging, water purification, and emergency shelter construction under constant humidity and rainfall.

• Tactical Maneuver: Dense-canopy land navigation where GPS signals and line-of-sight communications degrade rapidly.

• Combat Drills: Live-fire contact drills, reacting to jungle ambushes, and rope-assisted waterborne insertions.

• Culminating Endurance: Completion of the grueling “Green Mile” endurance course prior to graduation.

“Not everybody is going to get the opportunity, so when that door opens I think you should always take it,” Capt. Brown stated during the training.

Why Orbital Operators Deploy to Ground Theaters

While the Space Force focuses primarily on operating orbital constellations, tracking ballistic threats, and monitoring space domain awareness, the service’s operational footprint remains anchored to the earth.

Tactical Guardians frequently deploy forward to manage terrestrial satellite uplinks, operate mobile satellite communications (SATCOM) terminals, run tactical data links, and deploy offensive and defensive space control systems, including electronic warfare jammers. In a contested combat theater, space capabilities cannot remain confined to air-conditioned operations centers thousands of miles away; tactical nodes must deploy directly into combat zones to link ground commanders with low-Earth and geostationary orbit assets.

Strategic Implications for Joint Operations

The graduation comes amid a broader realignment of U.S. expeditionary capabilities in the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and Indo-Pacific theaters, where dense jungle environments present severe tactical challenges for electronic emissions, radar, and satellite visibility.

Heavy jungle canopies scatter high-frequency radio signals and disrupt standard GPS reception, demanding that space operators understand the physical and tactical realities faced by frontline units relying on orbital links.

By sending Guardians through physical crucible courses like JOTC-P, the Space Force is accelerating its cultural shift from pure technical oversight toward joint warfighting integration. Moving forward, the service plans to expand cross-service school slots including Arctic, mountain, and airborne qualifications to ensure Guardian liaison officers and tactical electronic warfare teams can deploy seamlessly alongside conventional and special operations units across any terrain.