 There were a number of Panamian strongpoints that continued to have telephone access.By attaching Spanish-speaking Special Forces personnel to a combat unit that would otherwise take the strongpoint by force, the Spanish-speaking personnel would phone the Panamian commander, tell him to put away his weapons and assemble his men on the parade ground, or face lethal consequences.Because of the heavy reliance on telephones, these missions were nicknamed "Ma Bell" operations.