In 1989, the HMMWV entered combat as part of Operation Just Cause, the US invasion of Panama. Per the U.S. Army, “In the early morning hours of December 20, 1989, the United States Army spearheaded a carefully planned and well-executed attack that overwhelmed the Panamanian Defense Forces (PDF) of dictator Manuel Noriega. The goal was to restore the democratically elected government of Guillermo Endara and arrest Noriega on drug trafficking charges.” The HMMWV was a key part of that offensive.