ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King.
By EARYEL BOWLEG
Tribune Staff Reporter
ebowleg@tribunemedia.net
ROYAL Bahamas Defence Force Commodore Raymond King said plans to send officers to Haiti has hampered the RBDF’s recruitment efforts, with some potential recruits choosing to join other law enforcement organisations.
“What we’ve realised, particularly with this recruitment exercise that is pending, we would have lost a number of candidates who decided to move to the other armed forces because when the conversation comes now to being deployed to Haiti, it’s a reality check for a number of persons in terms of do I want to make the ultimate sacrifice in joining the Royal Bahamas Defence Force,” he said during an Office of the Prime Minister press briefing yesterday.
The United Nations Security Council approved a year-long multinational security mission to Haiti in October.
A delegation from Kenya, the country leading the mission, visited Haiti this week before dispatching a team of officers to that country next year. The legality of Kenya’s mission has been challenged in that country’s courts, which remains unresolved even though Kenya’s plans continue to be finalised.
Commodore King said the training regimen for the 150 officers selected for the mission has evolved to deal with Haiti’s growing challenges.
He said a year ago, countering criminal gangs in Haiti was the objective, so initial training strictly focused on infantry optics in an urban setting.
“When I speak of it changing, the criminal gangs are now blocking humanitarian aid from getting to those who need it most,” he said yesterday, adding they are obstructing ports, preventing supplies and other much-needed goods from being cleared and shipped.
“In addition to the fuel, they are now creating obstructions for all of the major infrastructure in Haiti. Critical infrastructure includes electricity supply, communications, all of those required amenities society needs.”
Mr King said the RBDF had not received explicit instructions regarding its role or functions in Haiti, but would send three platoons of 50 people to Haiti, with officers spending four months there.
He said people have been selected following the United Nations’ criteria.
“Those persons have been selected from all of the main branches within the Royal Bahamas Defence Force — intelligence, administration, operations, planning, communications,” he said. “You need persons from all these disciplines, including interpreters, persons from our welfare unit, or chaplaincy office, and so those persons who would have been deliberately selected.”
He said defence officers will train with police officers participating in saturation patrols and anti-gang operations. He said US special operations observers are also observing RBDF training exercises.
“We reached out to Central America and South American counterparts, Chile and Argentina, who have peacekeeping centres of excellence, and we would send persons as instructors to be trained,” he said.
He said Jamaica has offered to be a site for key training “to ensure that everyone is operating at a common rules of engagement, use of force, common doctrine, language and everything.”
The commodore noted the RBDF has experience in peacekeeping missions, referencing a UN Peacekeeping mission to Haiti in 1994-1995.
“We’re fortunate that most of those young officers and marines who were a part of that peacekeeping mission are the planners today who are now preparing this next group to go into Haiti,” he said. “So we have to have the experience and professional development.”
Comments
Sickened 4 months, 3 weeks ago
We don't know what our boys will be asked to do but we're sending them anyway. I'm not sure our commodore should be a commodore if he is accepting a mission, recruiting for a mission and training for a mission, but doesn't know what the mission is. Are we providing oversight (i.e. need sharp shooters) and we're sending chaplains? Or are we helping distributing food and we're sending computer technicians?
bahamianson 4 months, 3 weeks ago
We would have lost or we lost? You don't have to sound smart all the ti.e. life is short, we gat you.
stillwaters 4 months, 3 weeks ago
I am also very puzzled with uneducated people using those words....'would have'. I'm guessing they heard it somewhere and it sounded smart.
bahamianson 4 months, 3 weeks ago
United states tries to not put boots on the ground and we do. If any of our officers die , it will become political and bad for the PLP.
ted4bz 4 months, 3 weeks ago
The US creates conflicts around the world, then orders other nations to go deal with it. The multipolar world is on the way, make haste Russia and China, make haste.
stillwaters 4 months, 3 weeks ago
Mr King said the RBDF had not received explicit instructions regarding its role or functions in Haiti, but would send three platoons of 50 people to Hait. Wow...........I am speechless
concernedcitizen 4 months, 3 weeks ago
I hope recruitment drops . We have way too many civil servants .We have been absorbing our birth rate with civil service jobs for fifty years, everyone is taxed to death to afford it .One in four working people work for the government ,. .Bahamasair has over one hundred employees per plane when the industry average is about twenty three I think . We need to put some salt peter in water supply .
TalRussell 4 months, 3 weeks ago
If I may be trusted to submit alongside RBDF Commodore Raymond King's struggle to recruit. --- Three Fighting Platoons from the colony's entire popoulaces' --- With the Willingness to go risk their lives on the foreign soil of Haiti, ----- Could easily become unhampered by the RBDF recruitment efforts, --- Doing a deep dive to unlock the Same Fighting Willingness from within the 37% (2353) percent of Bay Street's prime Junkanoos' viewings' locations seating at Rawson Square and in front of Scotiabank – Of which (870) of such reserved seats are, --- Exclusively Reserved for Members the Ruling Government's House-elected, Politically Appointed and Anointed and Enjoined. --- Let's see, if RBDF's Commodore King, will meet with success in recruiting a single Fighting Platoon of (50) Haiti Bound Soldiers.. --- Yes?
birdiestrachan 4 months, 3 weeks ago
It is wrong to send bahamians to die for Haiti because nothing will change the Plp is settling themselves up to loose the election
birdiestrachan 4 months, 3 weeks ago
That money can be spent to improve health care help many going blind they can not afford the surgery shame on the Government
SP 4 months, 2 weeks ago
Firstly, sending troops to Haiti to deal with gang activity is pointless without a clear strategy of removing the major underlying cause of Haiti's problems, which is the corrupt elite and political class that have had a strangle hold on Haiti for generation!
This corrupt elite and political class conglomerate manage and facilitate all levels of nefarious activities in Haiti.
Unless they are also dismantled or neutralized, the situation in Haiti has zero chance of sustainable improvement.
The United States interest in Haiti is the ongoing "continued" pilferage of its $20 billion gold deposits and Haitis' vast quantities of Oil and Natural Gas reserves that are confirmed to be some of the largest oil reserves in the world.
The corrupt elite and political class facilitate Canada and the United States exploitation of Haiti's natural resources, maintaining the countries currant destabilized condition and dire financial state it now faces.
Western powers have employed the same tactics across the African continent for generations. The worst offender being France, having a well documented history of gross exploitation and horrendous atrocities in Africa in its bid to steal its natural resources.
The broader questions of any stabilization of Haiti are, what will happen the day after a peace keeping force leaves? How will Haiti divest itself of the corrupt elite and political class that facilitates foreign exploitation of its natural resources that hinders its economic stability and sustainable development?
Without the answers to these questions, sending in troops to quell gang activity in Haiti is a total nonstarter that would unquestionably end in the unnecessary deaths of any number of troops and civilians.
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