A B-52H Stratofortress returns home from PANAMAX 2014 on Barksdale Air Force Base, La., Aug. 12, 2014. PANAMAX is an annual U.S. Southern Command-sponsored exercise series that focuses on ensuring the defense of the Panama Canal. The main focus of PANAMAX was to exercise a variety of responses to any request from the governments of Panama and Columbia to protect and guarantee safe passage of traffic through the Panama Canal, ensuring its neutrality and respect national sovereignty. This is the first time in three years a live military asset was used in the simulated exercise. (U.S. Air Force photo/Senior Airman Benjamin Gonsier)