Tradewinds 2015 Phase II Begins in Belize

Photo By Sgt. Kimberly Aguirre | Military and civilian personnel from various countries gather at the welcome brief where Mr. William Knightly, U.S. Southern Command, delivers remarks regarding Tradewinds 2015 at Price Barracks in Belize City, Belize, June 15, 2015. Tradewinds 2015 is a joint combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations. (U.S. Marine Corps photo by Lance Cpl. Kimberly Aguirre/Released)  

LADYVILLE, BELIZE

06.15.2015

Courtesy Story

U.S. Marine Corps Forces, South

LADYVILLE, Belize – Phase II of this year’s Tradewinds exercise, which executes June 15-24, began Monday with an opening ceremony held at Price Barracks, Belize.

Representatives from some of the 14 participating nations heard remarks from Lt. Col. Louis Sutherland, the Belize Defense Force deputy commander, Lt. Col. David T. Hudak, the Special Purpose Marine Air-Ground Task Force commanding officer, and Mr. William Knightly, from the sponsoring organization, U.S Southern Command.

The ultimate goal of the exercise is to expand the nations’ ability to plan and execute multinational operations, respond to natural disasters and provide better regional security throughout Central America.

"The most important thing these partner nations will bring back to their countries is the relationships and ability to work together," said Hudak.

The participating nations are Antigua and Barbuda, Barbados, the Dominican Republic, Grenada, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Mexico, Canada, the United Kingdom and the United States.

The training is organized into focus areas such as human rights awareness, command and control, marksmanship, jungle warfare, military support to law enforcement, riverine training and maritime and dive skills. In these training tracks, partner nations will exchange best practices in areas such as evidence preservation, the use of non-lethal weapons, crime scene investigation, jungle survival skills, and martial arts.

However, the larger objective is to allow these nations to strengthen their ability to plan and execute security operations, humanitarian aid and disaster response operations and counter transnational organized crime.

• Date Taken: 06.15.2015
• Date Posted: 06.18.2015 00:40
• Story ID: 166742
• Location: LADYVILLE, BZ