All amounts in U.S. dollars. Numbers in italics are estimates, usually based on the closest year for which data are available.

All amounts in U.S. dollars.

All amounts in U.S. dollars.

Document: Southern Partnership Station Returns to Barbados

Program: Exercises

High speed vessel Swift (HSV 2) returned here Sunday to begin a 10-day training mission and complete the Barbados portion of during Southern Partnership Station (SPS).

Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus. The mission goal is primarily information sharing with navies, coast guards, and civilian services throughout the region. SPS is comprised of Navy training and support teams, Marine Corps training teams, foreign naval officers and civilian contract mariners on a Military Sealift Command platform.

Training teams from Navy Expeditionary Training Command, Naval Criminal Investigative Service and the Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group began their courses Monday with 127 students from the Royal Barbados Defense Forces and member nations of the Regional Security System (which includes Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Grenada, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines). The courses provide instruction in waterborne security, port security, leadership, instructor training, generator maintenance, search and rescue planning, combat patrol and urban raid tactics.

Document: U.S. Coast Guard Provides Training for Caribbean Security Partners

Program: Exercises

U.S. Coast Guardsmen from District 7, Tactical Law Enforcement Detachment, provided instruction in compliant and non-compliant boarding to service members from the Royal Bahamas, St. Vincent and Grenadines, St. Kitts-Nevis, Haiti, Trinidad-Tobago, Belize, Barbados and the Dominican Republic Defence Forces at Royal Bahamas Defence Force Base in Coral Harbour, March 6 - 8, during Exercise Tradewinds 2009.

As part of Tradewinds’ goal to increase maritime security, the compliant and non-compliant boarding training will help to ensure partner nations are able to execute the necessary measures when called upon to board a vessel, with the appropriate use of force, to prevent illegal trafficking.

"The focus of this year´s activities on maritime interdiction is critical and timely, and is in line with our determination that every effort should be made to prevent a significant upsurge in drug trafficking in the Caribbean region," said Bahamas National Security Minister O. A. "Tommy" Turnquest, in the opening ceremonies of the event March 4.
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If the suspect vessel’s occupants become aggressive and show resistance to the service members, but were still not attacking them, the students were shown techniques such as pressure points and handcuffing procedures to detain the suspect.
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If the situation escalates and the occupants become violent or aggressive toward the service member attempting to detain them, the aggressor would at that point be classified as non-compliant.
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Partner nation service members were instructed in escalation of force and how to properly evaluate when an occupant is non-compliant and keep control of the situation, with the correct course of action.

Document: Section 1209 Report to Congress on Foreign-Assitance Related Programs Carried out by the Department of Defense

Program: Humanitarian and Civic Assistance

Projects support USSOUTHCOM TSC goal to shape the environment by promoting democracy, regional prosperity, and stability.

Document: Southern Partnership Station Naval Deployment Begins

Program: Exercises

Southern Partnership Station is an annual deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command area of focus in the Caribbean and Latin America. The mission’s primary goal is information sharing with navies, coast guards, and civilian services throughout the region.

Military training teams and subject matter experts embarked on Swift will provide partner nations with classroom and hands-on training in a variety of subjects.

The ship is scheduled to visit El Salvador, Panama, Nicaragua, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Barbados and Colombia.

Members of the Navy Expeditionary Training Command will provide instruction in small boat operations, maintenance and repair, boarding techniques, armed sentry, search and rescue, combat lifesaving, leadership principles for junior and senior partner nation enlisted service members, and instructor training.

The Marine Corps Training and Advisory Group will advise partner nation servicemembers on a variety of different topics including marksmanship, martial arts, and non-lethal weapons tactics.

Naval Criminal Investigative Service Security Training and Assessment Team will provide port security instruction and advice.

Information systems technicians will help install and instruct partner nation servicemembers on the use of Integrated Automatic Identification Systems (IAIS). IAIS is a computer based vessel identification program that provides ports and other ships with real-time location and information on friendly vessels within their region.

Document: Joint Task Force-Bravo deploys in support of regional disaster relief exercise

Program: Exercises

A forward deployed team of more than 20 Joint Task Force-Bravo Soldiers and Airmen set up shop here May 4 to support a regional disaster relief exercise involving military and civilian agencies from throughout the Western Hemisphere.

Designated Fuerzas Aliadas Humanitarias 2008, the U.S. Southern Command and Salvadoran Ministry of Defense-sponsored exercise runs May 5-15 and brings together experts in all aspects of disaster planning and operations.

The annual exercise’s planners seek regional cooperation in disaster planning and response by allowing participants to test their abilities to render mutual aid between countries, just as they may be called to do in a disaster situation under mutual assistance agreements.

The disaster relief portion of the exercise involves various military and civilian management agencies from Central America and the Caribbean Basin.

“Disaster relief is what we’re normally expected to do in Central America—it’s our bread and butter—and we’re here to help provide assessment to U.S. Southern Command and other assessment teams,” said Army Col. Marcus DeOliveira, JTF-Bravo commander.

Although the exercise scenario is built around a devastating earthquake, Colonel DeOliveira said the exercise is a primer for the upcoming hurricane season.

“When disaster strikes, we’re in coordination with country teams and governments as they begin coordinating and providing assistance,” he said, “this exercise is a great opportunity for JTF-Bravo to partner with U.S. Army South and other participating nations to work through our processes.”

Countries participating in this year’s exercise include: Antigua/Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Costa Rica, Dominica, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Honduras, Jamaica, Montserrat, Nicaragua, Panama, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago and the United States.

Upon setting up operations at a Salvadoran Air Force facility, the JTF-Bravo team initialized communications with exercise officials and began preparing for the three-day-long disaster scenario. Upon notification, the team will begin accepting follow-on forces called upon to assist with disaster relief operations.

JTF-Bravo’s participation in the disaster relief portion of the exercise revolves around casualty evacuation and medical care, and more JTF-Bravo personnel are due to arrive to support operations as needed.

“We have 19 JTF-Bravo medical element personnel arriving this week to conduct a general medical readiness exercise at a remote village near Comas Aguas, El Salvador,” said Air Force Capt. Jennifer Martinez, MEDEL operations officer.

“Participating in this exercise allows our medical personnel to refine our disaster response communications and coordination process with our host nation partners which is vital to joint medical response during natural disasters.”

The casualty evacuation operations involving JTF-Bravo’s UH-60 Blackhawk helicopters will occur as requests come from the exercise officials.

Following the disaster exercise, participating countries representatives will convene in San Salvador May 11-15 for an after-action review followed by subject matter expert presentations and a trade exposition.