Cayman soldiers have completed a major training exercise with Caribbean partners in Trinidad and Tobago.
The event, ‘Exercise Soter’, marked the first time Cayman Islands Regiment troops have delivered training overseas to other forces.
Staff Sergeant Andrew Strand and Lance Corporal Conrad Britton shared the regiment’s expertise in urban search and rescue with soldiers from the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force, the country’s fire service and its Office of Disaster Preparedness and Management.
Commodore Don Polo, the Trinidadian Chief of the Defence Staff, said that the end of the exercise, “Over the past three weeks, we have witnessed commitment, professionalism and a shared dedication to advancing the safety and security of our region.
“Exercises like Soter are not simply training engagements – they are strategic investments in capacity building, partnership development and the strengthening of our collective resilience.”
Polo added, “One of the core objectives as to deepen regional cooperation. In today’s security environment, no nation can stand alone.”
Challenges
He said, “Challenges such as natural disasters, transnational crime, humanitarian crises and emerging threats demand collaboration, interoperability and mutual trust.”
UK High Commissioner to Trinidad and Tobago Jon Dean described the deployment to deliver training as a “pioneering move” for the Cayman Islands Regiment, adding, “they aim for it to pave the way for more regional packages in this very important subject”.
“It marks the start of a growing partnership between the Cayman Islands and its regional partners in delivering a more collaborative product to the region,” he said.
Major Graham Muir, the training and operations officer at the Cayman Islands Regiment, added a dozen members of the regiment were also trained by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force in casualty care, communication, small team operations and mission planning.
The regiment’s commanding officer, Colonel Roger Carter, is a former senior officer in the Trinidad force, amassing 33 years’ experience in the service.
Partnerships ‘vital’
Dean said the exercise “serves to strengthen the relationship between the British Overseas Territories and our regional partners, which reinforces the UK’s commitment to collaborative security and resilience across the Caribbean”.
“These partnerships are vital to addressing our shared challenges,” he added. “The UK values its enduring relationship with Caribbean partners and remains fully supportive of initiatives that build interoperability, trust and mutual capability.”
He said the Cayman force deserved congratulations for its rapid progress from being formed in 2020 to delivery of a “comprehensive, technical and professional course” to overseas units just five years later.
The Compass earlier reported that Carter and other officers had met in Turks and Caicos with their counterparts from other UK overseas territories from around the region to discuss how they could work together in a crisis.
The results of the meeting could see Cayman troops deployed alongside others from the region and Bermuda in response to disasters such as the recent Hurricane Melissa, a massive storm that devastated Jamaica.
Muir said the meeting was “a chance to discuss how each regiment plans, prepares and deploys in response to the myriad of challenges facing the region, be they climate or security based”.
He added, “Options for future joint disaster relief deployments were discussed, as were procurement and training options to better enable cost-saving and generate interoperability.”
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