By Clestine Juan

GUYANA’S upcoming Exercise Tradewinds 2023, which is scheduled to take place from July 14 to 28, will prioritise humanitarian assistance and disaster relief efforts, particularly in combatting flooding in Kwakwani and oil spills.

Major Jaime Castello of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), who is the lead planner for the exercise, on Friday revealed that this year will see a shift from the traditional security-type training to the incorporating of vital aspects of crisis response.

Tradewinds is a multinational Caribbean security exercise sponsored by the United States Southern Command. It aims to bolster the region’s capabilities in various areas. With the participation of 17 partner nations, three allied nations, and several regional organisations, the exercise seeks to enhance joint operations, strengthen partnerships, and counter external influences.

This year, officers will be involved in an oil-spill response exercise led by Guyana’s Civil Defence Commission (CDC) in the Berbice River, which oil companies ExxonMobil and CGX are supporting.

“They’ll be doing two activities: One is the shoreline clean-up assessment likely to be done at 63 Beach, and for the Berbice River. We are looking to do a practical oil-spill deployment exercise,” Major Castello said.

He explained that last year, the CDC conducted an oil-spill practical in the Demerara River, and this new exercise will help them develop their protocols and response.

Other officers will also be involved in a flood response exercise in Kwakwani in Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice).

In 2021, the Region Ten authorities had declared that the community of Kwakwani was in a “severe state”, since floodwaters had risen above 15 feet, completely covering several homes.

Major Castello said that the exercise in Kwakwani will create a flooding scenario to build capabilities to handle such cases, especially with the involvement of regional and international partners.

Castello explained that this Tradewinds 2023 is different, since they will be doing the same traditional security-type training, as well as incorporating humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.

“The training objectives for Exercise Tradewinds 2023 are to expand the Caribbean region’s capability to mitigate, plan for, and respond to crisis, strengthen partnerships and counter influences, increase regional training capacity and readiness for all participating courses; increase inter agency integration in the Caribbean specifically with special operation forces; regional organisations and co-ordination courses…and to promote human rights, women and peace in security and principles and adhere to shared international norms and values” Castello said as he explained the objectives of the training programme.

Each of the training exercises at the various locations will provide opportunities to conduct joint, inter-agency capacity building opportunities for the partner nations, with a focus on regional co-operation, humanitarian assistance, and disaster response.

Major Castello said there is no doubt that the exercise will be fruitful, since Guyana, in 2021, hosted a successful Tradewinds Exercise amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

He explained that not only did the security forces benefit from training covering the areas in terms of land, sea and air training, but Guyana also benefitted economically since the supplies and resources required for the exercise were sourced right here.

Major Castello said that for Tradewinds 2023, they anticipate the attendance of 21 countries and more than 1,500 participants.

The annual exercise, which has been held since 1984, aims to enhance the region’s ability to handle and respond to crises, improve training capacity and cooperation among participating countries, develop and refine operating procedures, strengthen defence of Exclusive Economic Zones (EEZ), increase readiness, promote human rights and adherence to international norms, ensure gender inclusivity in the armed forces, and enhance awareness of maritime activities to combat illegal fishing.
The participating regional organisations include the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Regional Security System (RSS), the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security (IMPACS), and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA).

The regional security cooperation exercise focuses on maritime interdiction, ground security, and multinational staff training, all of which support the campaign plan of the US Southern Command (SOUTHCOM).