Operation Nifty Package - Military Execution

Military Execution

Executed in the starting hours of Operation Just Cause, this operation was handled by Seal Team Four. Consisting of 48 U.S. Navy SEALs (three SEAL Platoons), this SEAL Team was tasked with destroying Noriega's private jet on the ground at the Punta Paitilla Airport, a coastal airport in Panama City. The SEALS challenged a pair of Panamanian soldiers they saw at the airfield, causing them to flee into a nearby hangar; the ensuing gunbattle killed four SEALS and wounded eight more. Despite the casualties, a well-aimed AT4 rocket destroyed Noriega's plane, resulting in the mission's strategic success.

Another Navy SEAL group, consisting of four divers and men on Zodiac attack boats, was assigned to sabotage Noriega's heavily armed gunboat while it was tied to a pier on the canal. The four divers swam in the canal while being attacked with Panamanian grenades. They also had to avoid a boat that was a suspected Soviet intelligence vessel. Two of the divers descended to the bottom of the canal, beyond the maximum operating limit of their breathing units, and, with two bombs, successfully destroyed Noriega's gunboat.