In a significant enhancement of regional security— and a rare announcement of foreign assistance from the United States under the Trump administration — the Regional Security System (RSS) has officially opened its Logistics Hub and Maritime Centre of Excellence here, bolstered by multi-million-dollar funding from the US.
Officials have touted the strategic development as a major milestone in combating drug trafficking and illegal fishing among other maritime threats.
The two multi-million-dollar facilities, located at Paragon, Christ Church, were commissioned on Wednesday during a ceremony attended by security officials and representatives of the US government, which funded the projects through its Southern Command under Title X counterdrug assistance.
Describing the occasion as “the realisation of a discussion which began over seven years ago”, RSS Executive Director Commodore Errington Ricardo Shurland, said the opening marked a significant milestone in the region’s efforts to strengthen maritime security and operational readiness. The announcement comes at a time when the Donald Trump administration has decimated funding to developing countries for health, climate action and democratic governance. The US Agency for International Development (USAID) has been shuttered and its remaining work brought under the US State Department.
In welcoming the US support for the RSS Logistics Hub, Commodore Shurland said the maritime base will support the maintenance and upkeep of vessels and equipment under the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative’s Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT) programme and the RSS’s wider maritime programme. The facility will serve as a centralised location for logistics coordination, parts distribution, and technical support for coast guards and marine police units across member states.
RSS Executive Director, Commodore Errington Ricardo Shurland and Chargé d’Afffaires at the US Embassy, Karin Sullivan unveil a plaque to mark the opening of the facilities.
“Having adequate stocks and supplies, easy access to maritime spares and technical advice, and training to update the skill sets of the various maintainers and technicians is critical to ensuring our maritime assets remain operable,” Shurland said.
He noted that the hub, outfitted with inventory and resource management software, will cut delivery times and costs, and improve supply chain efficiency across the region.
The adjoining Maritime Centre of Excellence will focus on training regional personnel in a wide range of maritime disciplines, including engineering, diving, logistics, and administration.
Shurland added that it will also serve as the official training site for Mercury-Vorado engine maintenance—the standard outboard engine used by RSS member states on their interceptor vessels.
The $2.52 million (US$1.26m) facility, the first of its kind in the Eastern Caribbean, was built after the initial concept of a portable classroom grew into a permanent training institution offering high-level technical courses. It will also house the RSS Centre of Excellence for Diving, which was launched in 2023.
Shurland said the new diving programme was especially critical given the tactics used by transnational crime syndicates to smuggle drugs by concealing them under ships.
“The skills garnered through those dive courses will provide another tool in the arsenal to combat transnational organised crime,” he added.
Commodore Shurland further expressed gratitude to the governments, agencies, and individuals who helped bring the vision to life, noting: “These facilities are more than buildings—they are a commitment to the security, prosperity, and resilience of our region.”
“We look forward to the constructive results that will emerge and the long-term impact they will have in safeguarding the blue economy.”
During her remarks, Chargé d’Affaires at the US Embassy in Barbados, Karin Sullivan, hailed the RSS as “an undeniable force multiplier for its member states” and reaffirmed the United States’ commitment to deepening its security cooperation with the region.
“The maritime threats that impact RSS member states are shared threats for the United States,” she said.
“This joint project underscores the importance of continued cooperation and sustained collaboration.”
Sullivan noted that the US Southern Command invested nearly $1 million in the construction of the central logistics warehouse, and praised the RSS-led expansion with the adjacent training centre as a testament to the strength of the partnership.
The US envoy also gave recent examples of successful collaboration, including the training of non-commissioned officers through the US Army’s Western Hemisphere Institute for Security Cooperation, facilitated by the RSS.
