At Your Fingertips

AT YOUR

FINGERTIPS

NEWSLETTER

MAY 2024 | ISSUE #4

EXTW24, under the theme Tailored for the region, by the region, promoting a secure Caribbean 2024 and beyond, was “an emphatic success”.

Prime Minister Encourages Youth To Join A Service Organisation Exercise Tradewinds A Partnership Among Regional Forces Photo Stop Calendar of events - June 2024

by Julie Carrington

Acting Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell, has expressed deep appreciation to the United States Government, through its Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), for investing just over US$8 million for this year’s Exercise Tradewinds (EXTW24).

Lt. Col. Lovell also thanked SOUTHCOM for the technical and logistical support provided, which helped to make the 39th staging of the exercise a success.

Speaking during the closing ceremony at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, he said the significant financial investment was a “true testament to the United States’ commitment to hemispheric security”.

The Acting Chief of Staff conveyed “the collective thanks”, on behalf of a grateful region, to United States Ambassador Roger Nyhus and Deputy Director of the United States Southern Command, Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey, for their support.

Lt. Col. Lovell declared that EXTW24, under the theme Tailored for the region, by the region, promoting a secure Caribbean 2024 and beyond, was “an emphatic success”.

He pointed out that it had achieved the aim of ensuring high operational readiness and improved regional interoperability as law enforcers sought meaningful solutions to issues affecting regional stability while preparing to host the International Cricket Council’s T20 Men’s World Cup Finals.

“The lessons and strategies gleaned from this exercise will stand us in good stead. In the context of our dynamic complex on some things on certain hemispheric realities, the selection of relevant exercise themes, such as the enhancements of regional interoperability, the promotion of regional cooperation and the improvement of military capabilities, collaboration, and cohesiveness, were of immense value to the region…

“I am proud to say that the level and scale of training brought to bear during this Tradewinds has never before been experienced in the Eastern Caribbean and has provided participants with the tools needed to face whatever is ahead…. I say to you that our regional networks are stronger. We are stronger now than ever before,” Lt. Col. Lovell emphasised.

He thanked Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley and the Cabinet for readily agreeing to host the EXTW24, participants from the regional forces, and the public for embracing it and making the foreign troops feel welcomed.

“Vice Admiral Holsey praised the participants for their cooperation and shared commitment to global stability, peace, and prosperity.

“Together, our allied forces remain ready to respond to today’s dynamic security challenges. The security threats we see today in this region are pervasive. Transnational criminal organisations… cybercrime, natural disasters, environmental degradation, and fuel instability are affecting us all. These challenges are not solely confined to the Caribbean, or the Western Hemisphere, but the scale and complexity, are at the global proportions…,” he said.

The Vice Admiral also thanked Ms. Mottley for welcoming the troops to the island and Ambassador Nyhus and his team at the United States Army for their efforts in maintaining regional security and prosperity across the Caribbean.

Exercise Tradewinds 2024 concluded on Thursday, May 16.

Check out the first Media Day of Exercise Tradewinds 2024, at the Barbados Defence Force Paragon Base, Christ Church, and Earth Station, St. John. Members of the media received a first-hand experience of simulations.

EXERCISE TRADEWINDS A PARTNERSHIP AMONG REGIONAL FORCES

by Julie Carrington

Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force Commodore Errington Shurland, has hailed Exercise Tradewinds 2024 (EXTW24), as a symbol of a shared partnership among regional forces to protect the region from various security threats.

He expressed this view today during the opening ceremony of the military exercise at the Barbados Defence Force’s Paragon base in Christ Church.

Commodore Shurland maintained that Exercise Tradewinds underscored the region’s collective commitment to fostering regional security and stability, and expressed optimism that the lessons learnt would bolster the region’s capability to adequately cope with any situations that may occur.

He stated: “Exercise Tradewinds is a clear demonstration of the enhanced cooperation and readiness of our partner agencies in safeguarding the Caribbean region… The value of Exercise Tradewinds has been realised time and time again and this year’s exercise is particularly timely in assisting us in the preparation for the hosting of the International Cricket Council’s T 20 Men’s Cricket World Cup. “It is anticipated that the lessons learnt, from Tradewinds, will bolster the region’s ability to effectively manage and respond to any threat and circumstance that may arise.”

The Chief of Staff maintained that some of the scenarios embedded in EXTW24 would focus on countering transnational organised crime and violent extremists’ groups, and cyber security, among other emerging threats.

He added that the experiences gained from the exercises would be used to assist officials in finalising CARICOM’s standard operation procedures, while enhancing regional cooperation and stability to effectively respond to security threats.

Commodore Shurland urged participants to “reap as many benefits as you can” from the training since the exercise signalled the collective commitment of partner agencies to foster regional security and stability of the Caribbean region’s borders.

Meanwhile, Co-director and Lead Planner of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) for the two-week military campaign, Commander Mark Peterson, said EXTW24 was not only an opportunity to train together and build camaraderie, but was a “testament to our commitment to peace, security and stability in our region and beyond, given the geopolitical issues regionally and internationally”.

“We must ensure that our collective efforts are centred on countering transnational crime and countering violent extremist organisations and efficiently responding to threats…,” he underlined.

Deputy Commander of the US Army SOUTHCOM Brigadier General Monie Ulis, told participants that the unified show of forces was “a demonstration of our enduring relationship and commitment to enhance disaster preparedness and regional security as we continue to work together.”

With a renewed sense of determination to assist this vulnerable section of the population, and his newly found love for politics, Senator Boyce penned a letter to then Prime Minister Owen Arthur, who had just been reelected following the 1999 General Elections, questioning his plans for disability education.

Women Need To Be Involved In Peace Making Process

by Cathy Lashley

Women must be included in the conversation and negotiation process to attain world peace that is sustainable.

Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Technology, Marsha Caddle, stated this on Wednesday, as she delivered remarks to open a Women, Peace, and Security Senior Leaders Forum, as part of Exercise TRADEWINDS 2024, at the headquarters of the Barbados Defence Force, St. Ann’s Fort, The Garrison.

Speaking under the theme “Moving Beyond Women Integration to Gender Equity”, Ms. Caddle told her audience that more women needed to be included in the formal peace making processes, along with establishing peace agreements that sufficiently addressed women’s security and peace-building needs.

The Minister added that there was a lot of evidence to suggest that women’s participation in mediation and peace-making processes often yielded “more nuanced, thorough, and sustainable results”.

She said: “When women participate in peace making and peace building, [we] have found that the result tends to include some of the nuances of what reconstruction from conflict looks like, with specific attention to the social institutions that are needed, to the social capital that has been destroyed and needs to be rebuilt.

“We are moving away from simply integrating women, or what I would call add women and stir, to really understanding what gender equality looks like in an area such as this when we’re talking about peace and security.”

MINISTER CADDLE ADDED THAT THERE WAS A LOT OF EVIDENCE TO SUGGEST THAT WOMEN’S PARTICIPATION IN MEDIATION AND PEACE-MAKING PROCESSES OFTEN YIELDED “MORE NUANCED, THOROUGH, AND SUSTAINABLE RESULTS”.

The Industry Minister underlined that today the disproportionate impact of war, conflict, instability and insecurity on women was evident, adding that peace and security included the maintenance of peace and the ability to invest in continuous peace building, even in the absence of conflict.

Ms. Caddle underscored that it was not just simply having an absence of conflict, but rather making sure that communities, societies, and groups have built in a positive experience every day that included expressing peace and having an environment in which everyone could improve their well-being.

The Women, Peace and Security Senior Leaders Forum also attracted representatives from The Barbados Police Service, the Barbados Fire Service, the Immigration Department, the Barbados Prison Service, and the Barbados Defence Force.

PRIME MINISTER ENCOURAGES YOUTH TO JOIN A SERVICE ORGANISATION

by Julie Carrington

In an environment of rising homicides by gun violence per capita in countries across the region, Prime Minister Mia Amor Mottley is calling for more opportunities for young people to join organisations such as cadets, the Boy Scouts, and other service clubs.

Ms. Mottley emphasised that the expansion in service organisations was necessary to expose young people to the importance of service and how to handle weapons.

She made the suggestion today during the closing ceremony for Exercise Tradewinds 2024 (EXTW24) at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre, Two Mile Hill, St. Michael.

“The Barbados Defence Force has been supportive in continuing to expand its Cadet Programme and its Sea Cadet Programme…. As physical circumstances allow us, I actually would like for us to be able to ensure that every boy and every girl, as they become teenagers in this country, are exposed to this service organisation.

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“A time will come where it will not only be the men and women in uniform who will be called into service, but it will actually be the people of this nation who must stand up to the call, more likely than not, especially in circumstances of small island states, whose capacity to survive can be terminated within a few hours…,” Ms. Mottley proffered.

The Prime Minister maintained that EXTW24 had “elevated the extent to which ordinary people now understood that guns could be used in circumstances to commit crime or to protect region’s borders from criminal activities”.

However, the task at hand now, she stressed, was for regional governments to ensure that its citizens see the benefit of using firearms for protection and not destruction.

“A gun is a tool that kills. It doesn’t walk and even with AI, it doesn’t yet talk. Therefore, it comes back to the basic integrity of the individuals in our society to determine how to treat weapons with respect.

“I want to commend the exercise because I saw on the weekend, you opened up to people of this nation and I saw families come and bring their children. We will not be able to obliterate guns from the earth because regrettably it is here. But like with everything else we do with our children, it is to teach them to respect how they use weapons,” Ms. Mottley underlined.

The Prime Minister added that the exercise, held over the last two weeks, was “the evidence of what calling on each other looks like, and what it feels like”, as regional forces prepared themselves for any eventuality.

Also speaking during the opening ceremony were host country Co-Director of EXTW24, Commander Mark Peterson; Deputy Commander United States Southern Command, Vice Admiral Alvin Holsey; Acting Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force, Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell; and United States Ambassador to Barbados and the Eastern Caribbean, Roger Nyhus.

Exercise Tradewinds 2024 was held in Barbados from May 4 to 16.

Here are some highlights from the second Media Day of Exercise Tradewinds 2024, where members of the media received a first-hand experience of simulations.

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PHOTO STOP Exercise Tradewinds 2024 was held in Barbados from May 4 to 16.

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EFFORT TO IMPROVE RESPONSE TO VULNERABLE PERSONS DURING CRISIS

by Cathy Lashley

The Ministry of Industry, Innovation, Science and Technology is working with other government agencies to better respond to the vulnerable, especially during a crisis.

This was revealed by Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Technology, Marsha Caddle, as she addressed a Women, Peace, and Security Senior Leaders Forum held at the headquarters of the Barbados Defence Force, St. Ann’s Fort, The Garrison.

Ms. Caddle said peace building and peace keeping were related to how security was established and how governments responded to vulnerability, noting that her ministry was working across ministries and agencies that were in a position to strengthen gendersensitive responses during crises.

She said this could be achieved by mapping vulnerabilities using data and technologies and developing systems that allowed agencies to know where the vulnerable are located during crises.

“So, what we are working on is using data that we gathered from the census, data that we gathered from the Coastal Zone Management Unit, [and] from the Lands and Surveys Department, who, through their Building ID project were able to assign a building identifier to different kinds of buildings.

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“We’re also able through our Digital ID project to be able to put all that information together to understand exactly what groups of people are vulnerable; which groups of people are more vulnerable during crises and insecurity; and importantly, how can we find those people; [and] how can we deliver essential goods and services to those people during a crisis,” Ms. Caddle stated.

The Minister further disclosed that her ministry was also developing technology that allowed citizens to send alerts for help in times of crisis.

Minister of Industry, Innovation, Science, and Technology, Marsha Caddle

“And so, we believe that through this kind of technology, people who have specific needs, whether related to health interventions like pre-natal care in the middle of a conflict or crisis, or emergency, or whether it is the care of children or shelter, we believe that this kind of technology allows citizens to send across various categories [and] puts us in a better position to support how we respond to women, men, and families in conflict,” she noted.

“She said her ministry was also working with The Barbados Police Service to strengthen its use of technology to improve its response to domestic and intimate partner violence and expressed the hope for the creation of a digital court in the future.

Ms. Caddle pointed out that it was important to have sensitive data remain anonymous and stressed that adherence to the data protection policy was critical, as well as the ability to use AI technology effectively.

Other areas highlighted included ways of improving cyber security and promoting STEM education, the arts, and gender equality, with respect to peace and security.