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Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense – U.S. does not foresee any changes to security posture in Caribbean
– concerned about illicit firearms trafficking
Kaieteur News – The Government of the United States of America (USA) is assessing the need for a military base in the Caribbean in light of organised crime and ongoing terrorism activities.
This was relayed by Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense, Daniel P. Erikson on Tuesday. Erikson was at the time engaging with local members of the print media at the U.S Embassy in Georgetown, Guyana when he explained, “The United States views the challenges posed by transnational organisations that are not just military challenges but are also legal and law enforcement challenges and therefore require the whole of government response working with our partners in the region.”
He continued, “So at this juncture, we are not foreseeing any changes in terms of what our overall posture is in this region but you know we continue to assess the situation as it evolves.” While responding to another question on regional security and the influx of illegal firearms from the United States, the DASD acknowledged the concern. He said, “We recognise that this is a big concern throughout the Caribbean because it is tied to illicit criminal networks, transnational criminal organisations (and) certainly tied to the overall drugs and narcotics trade that exist in the Region.”
President, Dr. Irfaan Ali (center) with DASD for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense, Daniel P. Erikson and other officials from Guyana and the US. (Photo credit: Office of the President)
Erikson therefore indicated that the US government is focused on addressing those challenges, providing additional prosecutorial assets to investigate and prosecute cases of illegal firearms trafficking in the Region. The Top US Defense official is on a two-day visit to Guyana geared towards maintaining and advancing the strong defense ties, which the countries share. Stemming from the official visit, Erikson said a robust suite of activities will follow this year to develop and modernize the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
Daniel P. Erikson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense during his engagement with members of the media.
For instance, the DASD said additional visits from training teams, increased information sharing, high level discussions and capacity building in the area of cyber security can be expected. According to the US Defense official, “we do recognize that Guyana’s at a turning point in terms of its own economic development in terms of the regional role that it is capable of playing and so we want to make sure that our defense relationship with Guyana continues to meet the times as the situation in Guyana continues to evolve.”
Meanwhile, Erikson also hinted at collaboration between the two countries as it regards developing Guyana’s defense assets. He said, “Guyana is also seeking to modernize its defense capabilities, which will overtime imply additional purchases or assets that they seek to acquire. We are in conversations with Guyana about what the scope of that development capability should be and one thing is of interest to us is ensuring that as Guyana looks to increase its defence capacities it does so through a plan that is strategic, that is nested in its overall defense institutions and that’s sustainable overtime.” The US official noted that in the future, Guyana may very well seek to expand its maritime and air assets beyond its current capacity as there is already an interest in this regard.
During his visit to Guyana, Erikson met with President, Dr. Irfaan Ali to discuss areas of mutual interest. In a statement, the President said these included regional security, food security, climate change, information sharing, narcotics monitoring and disaster risk management. Also participating in the discussions were Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs, Anil Nandlall; Minister of Home Affairs, Robeson Benn; Chief of Staff of the GDF, Omar Khan; Commissioner of Police (ag), Clifton Hicken; National Security Advisor, Captain Gerry Gouveia and the Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Colonel Sheldon Howell.
US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Adrienne Galanek; Joint Staff Deputy Director for Policy, Plans, and Programs, Western Hemisphere, Brigadier General Gregory Krane; Caribbean Director for Western Hemisphere Affairs, Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, Amon Killeen and other US representatives were also part of the engagement.
- Caribbean, Daniel P. Erikson, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense (DASD) for the Western Hemisphere at the U.S. Department of Defense, Military, US Embassy’s Deputy Chief of Mission Adrienne Galanek
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