The Inter-American Defense Board received, on September 26, the visit of the Chief of Staff of the Defense Forces of Barbados, Commodore Errington Ricardo Shurland, accompanied on the occasion by Commodore Ryan Richard Alleyne, Delegate of Barbados to the IADB; by Lieutenant Colonel Michael Jones, Director of Caricom Impacs; and Senior Chief Petty Officer Austin R. Howell.
In addition to contributing to strengthening the traditional ties of friendship that unite the Inter-American Defense Board with the Republic of Barbados, an important Member State of the institution, the meeting aimed to discuss the various opportunities for cooperation between the IADB and some of the most relevant multilateral organizations in the Caribbean region, such as the Caribbean Community Crime and Security Implementation Agency (Caricom Impacs) and the International Agreement for the Defense and Security of the Eastern Caribbean Region (Regional Security System – RSS).
With an approximate population of 290 thousand inhabitants and known for its natural beauty, Barbados is an island country located in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas and the easternmost of the Caribbean islands. It is 34 km long and 23 km wide, covering an area of 432 km². Its capital and largest city is Bridgetown.
The IADB, the oldest multilateral defense organization in the world, is a member entity of the OAS and its main objective is to provide it and its member states with technical advisory services and education on military and defense issues in the hemisphere, in order to contribute to compliance with the OAS Charter in its four pillars: Democracy, Human Rights, Security and Development, with a main focus on the Security pillar.
In the historic facilities of the Casa del Soldado, in Washington – DC, the visitors were received by Brigadier General Marco Antonio Álvarez Reyes (Mexico), President of the Council of Delegates of the IADB; by Brigadier Flávio Luiz de Oliveira Pinto (Brazil), Director General of the Secretariat; and by Brigadier General Néstor Zalazar Echauri (Paraguay), Vice President of the Council of Delegates, accompanied by Colonel Matthew Heim (USA), Director of the Undersecretary of Services and Advisory.
Inter-American Defense Board: Promoting and Strengthening Hemispheric Confidence and Security
