Exercise Tradewinds puts accent on regional security cooperation

As the curtain falls on this year’s Exercise Tradewinds, a Canadian military official has underscored the significance of the annual large-scale exercise aimed at improving the skills of military and paramilitary organisations in Barbados and the region.

Deputy Commander of Canadian Joint Operations Command Major General Erik Molstad said the exercise has had a profound impact on fostering cooperation, interoperability and readiness among participating forces, stressing its broader implications for regional security and international collaboration.

Speaking at a reception to honour the visiting Royal Canadian Navy offshore patrol vessel HMCS Margaret Brooke which participated in Exercise Tradewinds, he also took the opportunity to highlight Canada’s contribution to regional security efforts involving the navy vessel on active duty in the region.

“These are critical exercises that will bring us all together and improve our interoperability, our capability to respond to contingencies and crises, and the ability to then skip those stages, critical stages, when we form, storm and norm, so that if we ever get called upon to conduct our mission together, we go straight to the performing part of that group dynamic,” Molstad said.

Highlighting the interpersonal connections forged through shared experiences and mutual understanding, he added: “These activities – although it’s a great diplomacy event – are about networking, socialising, building relationships and getting to know each other.”

Acknowledging the pivotal role of the participating naval forces, the major general expressed gratitude for their dedication and service. He commended the crew of HMCS Margaret Brooke, recognising their contributions not only to Exercise Tradewinds but also to Operation CARIBBE, the Canadian Armed Forces’s mission to intercept illicit drug trafficking in the Caribbean Sea.

While deployed on Operation CARIBBE, HMCS Margaret Brooke supported the interception of a drug smuggling vessel on February 4, seizing half a tonne of cocaine in the central Caribbean Sea.

“This is one of our North American flanks, an important flank, and an important region where we want to be involved in improving the security situation for everyone,” Major General Molstad said.

Speaking before an audience that included President Dame Sandra Mason, Canadian High Commissioner Lillian Chatterjee, acting Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell and other military officers and diplomats, he further stressed the importance of nurturing relationships and leveraging shared knowledge to enhance capabilities.

“It’s about relationships and strengthening those relationships, finding out what we can do to help each other. What do we know that we can convey to you, and what do you know that you can convey to us? We have so much to learn from each other, and it’s very, very important for us to pursue those avenues and learn from each other.” (RG)