Commodore Tellis Bethel and Tradewinds 2018 Participants Visit the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled

#Nassau, June 18, 2018 – Bahamas – On the official first day of the Exercise, Commander of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) and Chief of Defence for the Tradewinds 2018 Exercise Commodore Tellis Bethel joined exercise participants and stakeholders from Belize, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, the United Kingdom and the United States, on June 14, 2018, for a visit to the Bahamas Association for the Physically Disabled School, on Dolphin Drive.

The troops met with the teachers and staff and spent time interacting with the children, playing with them and presenting them with educational and specialty toys.  Tradewinds 2018 is an annual regional military training exercise that is being held in The Bahamas June 14 -21 and this year’s exercise will focus on Countering Transnational Organized crime in the region.  The Bahamas last hosted the event in 2009.

The main objective of the highly-regarded military event is to foster training for security forces that is “tailored for the region by the region”; the annual exercise is sponsored by the United States Southern Command.  The Royal Bahamas Police Force, Bahamas Customs and Bahamas Immigration Department were invited by the RBDF to participate this year.

Twenty-two partner nations from the Caribbean region, the wider Americas and Western Europe representing a total of over 800 troops are expected to participate in the exercise.

(BIS Photos/Eric Rose)

Release: BIS