US And Trinidad End Month-long Military Exercise

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad CMC – The United States says a month-long military training exercise, involving the US Southern Command and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, will help deepen cooperation between the two countries.

“The training will enable the U.S. and TT militaries to work together in the future and deepens our already strong relationship,” said U.S. Chargé D’ Affaires, Margaret Dip, at the end of the exercise.

The training primarily engaged the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard (TTCG) in maritime security training, including drug interdiction techniques and small boat operations.

“It enabled the TTCG team to hone their military tactics and skills by focusing on current skills being employed by multinational coalitions and improving interoperability between the two nations. The U.S. team benefitted from enhanced security cooperation and invaluable first-hand experience of the environment that the TTCG expertly operates in on a daily basis,” a statement from the US Embassy here said.

Dip said the joint exercise demonstrated the strong partnership between Washington and Port of Spain based on mutual respect and shared interests in the region.

The statement said both countries look forward to furthering security cooperation and strengthening the relationship in a transparent way. It said three more exercises are planned for 2014 and that Washington has carried out similar training and interoperability exercises in several countries including Guyana, Uruguay, Dominican Republic and Jamaica.