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).<\/p>\n
Co-hosts were Admiral Craig Faller, Commander, US Southern Command, and Rear Admiral Hayden Pritchard, Joint Chiefs of Staff of Trinidad and Tobago.<\/p>\n
The central theme was: \u201cImproving the Framework to Counter Threats and Respond to Crises\u201d; with the specific topics: Shared Understanding of Threat Networks, and Regional Crisis Response (Humanitarian Assistance\/Disaster Response \u2013 HADR).<\/p>\n
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.
\nThe conference concluded with the presentation of some proposals that deserve consideration:<\/p>\n
\u2022 Reinforce the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency (CDEMA) with more resources and military capabilities focused on rapid HADR response.
\n\u2022 It was recommended to increase the influence of the military\/security forces in improving the legislative agenda in support of HADR.
\n\u2022 Increase extra-regional contributions from Caribbean people during HADR operations.
\n\u2022 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.<\/p>\n
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