to integrate into the Tactical Track to educate operators on the legal aspects of conducting searches and individual rights. This will be standard on future Tradewinds exercises, as it is a crucial aspect of law enforcement. The two-day culminating exercise was full of boardings and tactical boat driving for the students, with one scenario integrating the air component’s airborne maritime interdiction capabilities. • CUTTER TRACK – Approximately 20 nautical miles outside of the Demerara River, Guyana, offshore patrol vessels from the U.S., the Netherlands, Canada, France, and the United Kingdom participated in a gunnery exercise, search and rescue exercise, towing exercise, and formation movements, among others. • DIVE TRACK – While historically embedded in the maritime component, this year, the dive track shifted to the land component. Due to the murky water diving conditions common within Guyana, the dive mission focused on inland waterways. However, during the culminating exercise, the dive track was tasked by the maritime operations center to conduct pier sweeps, underwater vessel hull searches, and item recovery. This track, typically led by Canada, will likely fall back under the maritime component in 2022. • ENGINEERING TRACK – Two tracks continued real-world work in addition to supporting the exercise. One of those was the engineering track headed by the CBSI Technical Assistance Field Team, which was composed of engineers from the Coast Guard and the Army who help select Caribbean coast guards maintain the operations assists through routine visits. This partnership bolsters the capability of the Caribbean nation and, in turn, allows them to conduct their missions safely and with greater efficiency and standardization. The team worked tirelessly to ensure boats were ready, and when casualties occurred, they were standing by with an immediate repair. This was executed all while training the engineering track students on maintenance and repairs ensuring students grasped the critical aspects of boat mechanics. • LOGISTICS, ADMINISTRATION, AND EXERCISE CONTROL – The other track conducting real-world planning and support was the logistics and administrative support team. Logistical support from the Coast Guard’s Director of Operational Logistics (DOL) and Atlantic Area was critical to the execution of the maritime track. From day-to-day transportation of personnel and equipment, delivery of clean water and meals, and the administration of COVID-19 tests, the logistics team was integral to the mission. • INTERAGENCY – The members in this track worked to integrate non-traditional agencies into Tradewinds in any capacity they fit. Initially, agencies such as DEA, Interpol, NASA, FBI, CIA, 7th Special Forces Group, Royal Bermuda Regiment, and DHS were on board to deliver training, but, due to circumstances, they were unable to attend. Lt. Dennis Bradford, a reservist at CGRU SOUTHCOM, put together a multiday training plan to integrate the Guyana Defence Force and Guyana Police Force into civil defense training. He leveraged his past experience as a law enforcement officer to tailor this inaugural training to the participants’ specialties and training needs. CULEX & CLOSING CEREMONY The culminating exercise was an intricate dance between offshore patrol vessels, law enforcement teams, small boats, and the maritime operations center. Scenarios involved human trafficking, illicit drug smuggling, weapons trafficking, intelligence gathering and processing, and boarding and legal processes among other topics. During the closing ceremony, the entire exercise was lauded as a success by many, including both the president and the prime minister of Guyana, the Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, the U.S. ambassador to Guyana, and SOUTHCOM’s Maj. Gen. Rafael Ribas, the deputy commander for Mobilization & Reserve Affairs. Tradewinds 2022 will be co-hosted by Mexico and Belize. � U.S. Coast Guard members and senior international leaders take a group photograph following a closing ceremony during Tradewinds 2021, Co-operative Republic of Guyana, June 25. Photo by U.S. Army Spc. Neysa Huertas Quinones Issue 3 • 2021 � RESERVIST 15
