BRIDGETOWN, Barbados – U.S. Navy Reserve Lt. Daniel S. Marciniak, a Medina, New York native assigned to U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) in Miami, Florida, is participating in Tradewinds 2017 in the Caribbean Sea from June 6-17.
Marciniak, a 13-year veteran and 1997 graduate of Medina High School and alumnus of both the State University of New York at Brockport and Niagara University, is serving as the deputy public affairs lead for the exercise. He is joined by 2,500 other service members from 20 partner nations.
“Tradewinds provides an opportunity for the U.S and partner nations to collaborate together and ensure the collective security of the region,” said Marciniak. “One of our primary missions at SOUTHCOM is to help build the capacity of our partner nations’ forces. Every nation participating in this exercise has taken a vested interest in countering transnational organized crime in the region and increasing our ability to conduct humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations.”
As a public affairs officer for the exercise, Marciniak is collaborating with local media and government agencies to promote Tradewinds' goals and activities, as well as leading a team of 12 joint and multinational service members who are documenting the exercise through photography, videography and journalism.
Tradewinds, sponsored by SOUTHCOM, is an annual joint and multinational exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations in the Caribbean to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies in the region. This year’s event is taking place in Barbados and Trinidad & Tobago.
Partner nations participating in the exercise include Antigua & Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts & Nevis, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Trinidad & Tobago as well as military personnel from the United States, Canada, France, Mexico, Netherlands and the United Kingdom.