Members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. 7th Special Forces Group leave the pier with members of the Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard, the Belize Coast Guard and the Jamaican Coast Guard to run pinch and boarding maneuvers in the Demerara River during Tradewinds, June 19. Photo by U.S. Navy Lt. Elizabeth Allen Tradewinds 2021: Guyana By Lt. Kevin R. Sullivan, Coast Guard Reserve Unit U.S. Southern Command Since the mid-1980s, Tradewinds has been one of the premier joint (Departments of Defense and Homeland Security) and combined (U.S. and Caribbean communities) exercises in the SOUTHCOM area of responsibility. Annually, countries from across the Caribbean and parts of South America join forces with the U.S. and allied forces to exercise Caribbean community (CARICOM) standard operating policies and procedures. These policies and procedures include input from such regional agencies as the Regional Security System, the Implementation Agency for Crime and Security, and the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency. These partnerships fuel discussions and further progress to strengthen partnerships in the region and prepare the region to assist each other when the need arises. Tradewinds is essential in strengthening partnerships and bolstering regional security and stability. A recent example of a real-world response was the explosive volcanic eruption on the island of St. Vincent. As with every year, the location of Tradewinds rotates between nations, and in 2019, the small island of St. Vincent had hosted the exercise. That year, exercise planners, at the request of the government of St. Vincent, orchestrated a scenario simulating an eruption of the island’s 41-year dormant volcano, La Soufrière. Unbeknownst to the host nation, event planners, or participants, this scenario would play out in real life less than two years later when La Soufrière erupted last April. During the planning process for Tradewinds 2021, representatives from St. Vincent thanked exercise planners and validated the need for the Tradewinds exercise, as it led to an effective real-world response to a catastrophic event, limiting the loss of life and the fallout from the event. Had these relationships not been in place, many would have been killed rather than the 20,000 that were evacuated (many of the evacuees were transferred to four neighboring partner islands). CGRU SOUTHCOM ROLE The Coast Guard plays a significant role in the execution of Tradewinds. While the exercise normally welcomes more than 1,500 participants, they are split between the land, air, and maritime components. Much of the team at Coast Guard Reserve Unit SOUTHCOM spend their year preparing for and executing the maritime component, led by Cmdr. Melissa Owens. Though there are multiple branches, or components, to the exercise, the CGRU represented the U.S. as the lead maritime planner for the maritime component. Owens has been a member of the CGRU for three years, and Tradewinds 2021 was her third time representing the U.S. She highlighted the international partnerships that come together annually to organize an exercise of this magnitude, and the group effort required across the air, land and maritime components. Owens said the expertise brought to the table by each of the partner nations was beneficial to all, especially in her component. Issue 3 • 2021 � RESERVIST 13
