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NCIS Exchanges Information, Tactics With Barbados Defense Force

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS100824-11
8/24/2010

By Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Kim Williams, Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command Public Affairs

BRIDGETOWN, Barbados (NNS) -- Navy Criminal Investigative Service (NCIS) personnel embarked on board High Speed Vessel Swift (HSV) 2 hosted subject matter expert (SME) information exchanges Aug. 23 with the Barbados Defense Force (BDF) as part of Southern Partnership Station (SPS) 2010.

During the information exchange, the Norfolk, Va.-based NCIS team discussed the specifics of physical and port security tailored to the BDF. 



"I enjoy seeing how receptive the Barbados Defense Force is to the information we have to share with them," said Senior Chief Master-at-Arms Charles Mobley, NCIS SME with SPS 2010. "The topics we share with the BDF help us build long-term relationships with partner nation maritime forces that focuses primarily on building and maintaining partner nation military capacity and capability."

SPS 2010 is strategic initiative, which will establish a self-sustaining sea base from which to conduct regional operations. It is a deployment of various specialty platforms to the U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) area of responsibility (AOR) in the Caribbean and Central America. Its primary goal is information exchanging with navies, coast guards and civilian services throughout these regions.

"We have more in common with the countries that we visit than differences," said Chief Master-at-Arms Jose Del Olmo, NCIS SME with SPS 2010. "So we try to come together on the commonalities to create regional stability and not focus on the differences."

Members of the BDF currently involved in the exchanges expressed their gratitude for the information they obtained during SPS visits to Barbados.

"We do a lot of inter-agency operations and if we can get the Marine units working in tandem, things will be a lot easier," said Barbados Coast Guard Able Seaman Dadrian Brathwaite. "Being that we are participating in these exchanges, it should make it a lot easier to work together. The SPS 2010 exchanges are very helpful in the long run and have helped us in the past including a drug bust we made back in 2009. We used the shouldering techniques we learned in the coxswain exchange on drug traffickers trying to reach our shores. This was an invaluable tool to us."

The NCIS SME portion of SPS Barbados concluded Aug. 20 with a graduation ceremony at the BDF Pelican Naval Base.

"I hope that the Barbados Defense Force will take away some of our procedures, as we will theirs, and be able to put the things they gained from the subject mater expert exchanges with NCIS and the U.S. Navy as a tool in their tool belt to use for later," said Del Olmo.

Swift is operated and navigated by 17 civilian contract mariners working for a private company under charter to the U.S. Navy's Military Sealift Command.