(CLICK ON PHOTOS FOR FULL RESOLUTION VERSIONS)
Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer William Adams stands at parade rest while Navy Rear Adm. Scott Jerabek speaks during the opening ceremony for Tradewinds 2016 in St. George's, Grenada. Tradewinds 2016 is a joint combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian/disaster relief operations. U.S. Coast Guard Photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake
Coast Guard ships from Barbados, Canada, France and the Unites States are shown at the pier in St. George's, Grenada, June 5, 2016. The ships are in St. George's as part of Tradewinds 2016, a multi-national maritime security and disaster response exercise in the Caribbean. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake
A crew member from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, ground guides a Mobile Communication Vehicle off a C-130 from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, in St. George's, Grenada, June 6, 2016. The MCV, a large, robust communication asset used for emergency and national communication support, was transported to Grenada for Tradewinds 2016, and this is the first time this asset has been deployed internationally. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake
Participants from partner nations undergo a risk assessment brief before getting underway for on-water training in St. George's, Grenada, June 6, 2016, as part of Tradewinds 2016. Tradewinds 2016 is a joint combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian/disaster relief operations. Royal Bahamas Defense Force photo by Marine Seaman Michael Turner
A Coast Guard C-130 from Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, and a Mobile Communication Vehicle from Communications Command in Chesapeake, Virginia, are shown at the airport in St. George's, Grenada, June 6, 2016. The MCV, a large, robust communication asset used for emergency and national communication support, was transported to Grenada for Tradewinds 2016. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake
Partner nation Coast Guard boats get underway for training as part of Tradewinds 2016 in St. George's, Grenada, June 6, 2016. Tradewinds 2016 is a joint combined exercise conducted in conjunction with partner nations to enhance the collective abilities of defense forces and constabularies to counter transnational organized crime and to conduct humanitarian/disaster relief operations. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Melissa Leake
B-ROLL VIDEO LINK: https://www.dvidshub.net/video/467695/b-roll-coast-guard-participates-ex...
ST. GEORGE’S, Grenada – Coast Guard units from the Hampton Roads, Virginia, and Elizabeth City, North Carolina, areas are participating in Phase I of the U.S. Southern Command-led, international exercise Tradewinds 2016 June 4 through June 14, 2016 in St. George’s, Grenada.
Exercise Tradewinds is a three-phased, combined and joint exercise that improves regional security and builds military relations among partner nations that supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative, a U.S. Department of State regional security partnership.
Phase I and II are designed to conduct joint, interagency capacity building exercises for participating nations, which focus on increasing regional cooperation in complex, multinational security operations, humanitarian assistance and disaster response operations.
“Tradewinds brings together so many partner nations for a common goal to share best practices and learn from each other in a controlled environment," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Tabitha Schiro, the maritime lead for Tradewinds 2016. “The relationships we’re building through this exercise are integral to working together with our partner nations in the future."
Military and security personnel from 13 Caribbean Community member states including Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, St. Kitts and Nevis, Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and Trinidad and Tobago will join military personnel from the United States, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom for Phase I of Exercise Tradewinds 2016.
Local Coast Guard units participating in Exercise Tradewinds 2016 includes units and personnel from Coast Guard Atlantic Area Command in Portsmouth, Virginia, Coast Guard Training Center Yorktown in Yorktown, Virginia, The Director of Operational Logistics in Norfolk, Virginia, and Communications Command in Chesapeake, Virginia.
Participating regional organizations include the Regional Security System, Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency, and Caribbean Community.
Phase II is scheduled to take place in Jamaica, and will focus on refining land and maritime operational skill, while Phase III includes a ‘Key Leader Seminar’ in the U.S., which will focus its discussions on phases moving forward.
Media inquiries please contact Melissa.L.Leake@gmail.com.