Diamondhead Native Participates in US, Caribbean Military Exercise

Photo By Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Russell | 180613-N-RG360-0030 NASSAU, Bahamas (June 13, 2018) U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Carl Jester (left), assigned to USCG Cutter Charles David Jr. (WPC-1107), discusses non-compliant vessel procedures with Royal marine commandos visiting his ship ahead of a planned joint training exercise as part of Tradewinds 2018. Tradewinds is a U.S. Southern Command sponsored exercise that provides participating Caribbean nations the opportunity to improve security and disaster response capabilities. This year’s focus is on countering transnational organized crime in the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class​ Melissa K. Russell/Released)  

DIAMONDHEAD, MS, UNITED STATES

06.15.2018

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Russell 

Navy Reserve - Navy Public Affairs Support Element West

NASSAU, Bahamas – U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) Boatswain’s Mate 1st Class Carl Jester, a Diamondhead, Mississippi native assigned to USCG Cutter Charles David Jr., is participating in Tradewinds 2018 – a joint and multinational military exercise that takes place annually in the Caribbean.

The 2001 graduate of Hancock High School and alumnus of Columbia Southern University is a 17-year veteran of the armed forces. He is joined by 1,700 military and civilian personnel from 21 partner nations in the Bahamas and St. Kitts and Nevis from June 4-21.

Tradewinds, sponsored by U.S. Southern Command, is an annual joint, multinational and interagency training exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to increase regional cooperation in complex multinational security operations and humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.

During the Caribbean-focused exercise, Jester is training with other servicemembers to ensure a better response to natural disasters and land and maritime threats, including illicit trafficking in the region.

Nations participating in the exercise include Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Canada, Colombia, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, France, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, Netherlands, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, United Kingdom and the United States.

• Date Taken: 06.15.2018
• Date Posted: 06.16.2018 17:35
• Story ID: 281248
• Location: DIAMONDHEAD, MS, US
• Hometown: DIAMONDHEAD, MS, US