From December 4 to 6, Brigadier General Stephen Lacroix, Director General of the Secretariat of the Inter-American Defense Board (IADB), participated in the Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC 18) in Puerto Spain, Trinidad and Tobago (T&T).
Co-hosts were Admiral Craig Faller, Commander, US Southern Command, and Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard, Joint Chiefs of Staff of Trinidad and Tobago.
The central theme was: “Improving the Framework to Counter Threats and Respond to Crises”; with the specific topics: Shared Understanding of Threat Networks, and Regional Crisis Response (Humanitarian Assistance/Disaster Response – HADR).
This conference had the distinguished participation of the Minister of National Security of T&T, HE Stuart Richard, the US Ambassador to T&T, HE Joseph Mondello, the Caribbean Chiefs of Defense, as well as military and civilian representatives of regional defense organizations and security.
The conference concluded with the presentation of some proposals that deserve consideration:
• Reinforce the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) with more resources and military capabilities focused on rapid HADR response.
• It was recommended to increase the influence of the military/security forces in improving the legislative agenda in support of HADR.
• Increase extra-regional contributions from Caribbean people during HADR operations.
• Adapt the concept of the Southern Command TRADEWINDS exercise to improve and optimize regional training on HADR, operations against threat networks and counterterrorism, as well as improve regional relations and strengthen relationships of all participants.
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