Offshore gunnery exercises are to be part of the multinational Tradewinds exercise which includes the Guyana Defence Force.
A Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) notice in today’s Stabroek News has advised that on June 19 gunnery exercises will be conducted in the Gunnex Box for which coordinates have been given. Low flying aircraft and mariners are expected to be clear of that area on that day.
MARAD also advised all vessels in the vicinity of the Demerara Light and approaches to the Demerara River of the military exercises.
The agency said that the exercise area is approximately 10 nautical miles from the coast of Guyana and covers an area of 56 nautical miles.
On its Facebook page, the GDF says Tradewinds 2021 is being sponsored by the United States Southern Command and will see participation from 17 nations including Trinidad and Tobago, Haiti , Canada, France and the United Kingdom.
The GDF said Tradewinds is a Caribbean focused training exercise designed to help participants better respond to natural disasters and land and maritime threats.
It supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative as well as US SOUTHCOM’s goal of building partner nation capacity at the tactical and operational levels.
