NewsWhore
03-06-2009, 03:40 PM
An initiative aimed at boosting capacity among Central and South American security forces is being put to test as 18 countries come together for a national security exercise in the Bahamas and the Dominican Republic. The United States and Great Britain join 16 Caribbean countries during the 25th annual Tradewinds exercise that is taking place 4 March through 18 March.
US Marine Corps Forces South leads in the US Southern Command-sponsored exercise focused on maritime interdiction and search-and-rescue operations with an emphasis on command and control. Representatives of every military service, the Coast Guard, Joint Inter-agency Task Force South and the Drug Enforcement Agency are among the about 500 participants in Tradewinds 2009.
During the exercise, they will conduct boarding party operations training, evidence processing and hazardous material identification and handling during realistic scenarios in Nassau and the Dominican Republic, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. David Hercher of Marine Corps Forces South said.
In the first and second phases, classes are held at the Melia Santo Domingo hotel, and deal with topics such as "Exchange of information about illegal appearances", "Command and control," "Search and Rescue". The final phase of the training will take place at the San Souci Naval Base. During the inaugural ceremony of the Tradewinds exercise, the Chief of Staff of the Dominican Navy, Vice-Admiral Homero Lajara Solis, accepted three "Justice" fast launches worth half a million dollars from the United States government. The boats are capable of speeds of up to 50 knots and are designed to pursue illegal shipping in coastal waters.
"The goals of Tradewinds 2009 are to better coordinate partner nations' search-and-rescue and maritime interdiction operations, increase maritime domain awareness, and better coordinate end-game seizure of illicit-trafficking vessels that can be used to smuggle terrorists, weapons, explosives or narcotics," said Marine Corps Maj. Landon Hutchens, exercise coordinator for U.S. Marine Corps Forces South.
"The US and the Caribbean share common interests, and regional challenges require cooperative solutions," Hutchens said. "Illicit trafficking is a threat faced by all nations in the region. We are all committed to building lasting partnerships that will enhance our ability to work effectively together."
In addition to the United States and Great Britain, participants in the exercise are the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad-Tobago.
Recently, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen said: "The main threat to the region is narco-trafficking and the insidious problem of drug money." He stresses: "The US government must engage with the leaders of Latin America across the spectrum, and military-to-military relationships can be the catalyst for much of this engagement."
www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=96 (http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=96)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)
US Marine Corps Forces South leads in the US Southern Command-sponsored exercise focused on maritime interdiction and search-and-rescue operations with an emphasis on command and control. Representatives of every military service, the Coast Guard, Joint Inter-agency Task Force South and the Drug Enforcement Agency are among the about 500 participants in Tradewinds 2009.
During the exercise, they will conduct boarding party operations training, evidence processing and hazardous material identification and handling during realistic scenarios in Nassau and the Dominican Republic, Marine Corps Staff Sgt. David Hercher of Marine Corps Forces South said.
In the first and second phases, classes are held at the Melia Santo Domingo hotel, and deal with topics such as "Exchange of information about illegal appearances", "Command and control," "Search and Rescue". The final phase of the training will take place at the San Souci Naval Base. During the inaugural ceremony of the Tradewinds exercise, the Chief of Staff of the Dominican Navy, Vice-Admiral Homero Lajara Solis, accepted three "Justice" fast launches worth half a million dollars from the United States government. The boats are capable of speeds of up to 50 knots and are designed to pursue illegal shipping in coastal waters.
"The goals of Tradewinds 2009 are to better coordinate partner nations' search-and-rescue and maritime interdiction operations, increase maritime domain awareness, and better coordinate end-game seizure of illicit-trafficking vessels that can be used to smuggle terrorists, weapons, explosives or narcotics," said Marine Corps Maj. Landon Hutchens, exercise coordinator for U.S. Marine Corps Forces South.
"The US and the Caribbean share common interests, and regional challenges require cooperative solutions," Hutchens said. "Illicit trafficking is a threat faced by all nations in the region. We are all committed to building lasting partnerships that will enhance our ability to work effectively together."
In addition to the United States and Great Britain, participants in the exercise are the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Nicaragua, St. Kitts-Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and Grenadines, Suriname and Trinidad-Tobago.
Recently, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Navy Admiral Mike Mullen said: "The main threat to the region is narco-trafficking and the insidious problem of drug money." He stresses: "The US government must engage with the leaders of Latin America across the spectrum, and military-to-military relationships can be the catalyst for much of this engagement."
www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=96 (http://www.southcom.mil/AppsSC/factFiles.php?id=96)
More... (http://www.dr1.com/index.html#6)