Photo By Sgt. Neysa Huertas Quinones | U.S. Army Col. Jerry B. Glass, Florida Army National Guard 53rd Infantry Brigade...... read more read more
Story by Cdr. T. Scot Cregan
US Southern Command Public Affairs
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (June 25, 2021) – Tradewinds 2021, a U.S. Southern Command-sponsored, multinational, Caribbean security exercise, is wrapping up in the country of Guyana. There are a multitude of training tracks with U.S. and partner nation members exchanging best practices, tactics, and techniques. For the U.S. contingent, the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) special agents seamlessly integrated as an outstanding resource for unique and specialized capabilities.
Assembled from regional offices across the U.S., a small 4-person DEA team responded to a request for assistance from the U.S. Southern Command’s J7/9-7 Interagency Integration Division and U.S. Army’s 7th Special Forces Group, U.S. Special Operations Command to augment their team in Guyana for the Tradewinds exercise. The DEA support was made possible through the DEA Office of Foreign Operations/Liaison Section and DEA Training Academy in Quantico, VA.
“Having the DEA team is a big win for us and all exercise participants, said U.S. Army Maj. Justin Smith, 7th Special Forces Group, “They have regional experience and solid military skills that they can be plugged into any aspect of our training tracks, whether they’re on the firing range or conducting medical training.”
Special Agent Billy Parker and his DEA team have years of experience working with partner nations to conduct joint, combined, and interagency training focused on increasing regional cooperation and stability.
“When the 7th Group called we were thrilled to join their team in Guyana,“ Parker said. “Our guys have been training the Guyana Defense Force (GDF), and Jamaican forces as part of the exercise. I’ve been greatly impressed by eagerness to learn and train through long hours into the evening. We’re all living and training together in the camps so it’s really a bonding experience. They’re hungry for experience and they’re eating it up.”
Training to partner forces was coordinated by the Law Enforcement Working Group (LEWG) led by the J7/9-7 Interagency Integration Division. The LEWG collaborated with U.S. government agencies, international organizations and partner allies to provide training and best practices in firearms trafficking and tracing, explosive ordinance disposal, public order and riot control, close quarters combat, small arms instruction, advanced rifle marksmanship, non-lethal weapons, human rights, women peace and security, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC medical), arrests search and seizure, and vehicle takedowns. The DEA team works with the SOF community as many lines of effort and concern intersect with narcotics and transnational crime. During the exercise, DEA agents augmenting the 7th Special Forces Group also worked with U.S. Army Soldiers from the 2-54th Security Force Assistance Brigade (SFAB) from the Florida Guard joined 1st Battalion 3rd Special Forces Group Operational Detachment Alpha (ODA 7-326).
While the Tradewinds DEA team is only in country for the duration of the exercise, the DEA office at the U.S. Embassy regularly partners with the Guyana Police Force, Guyana Defence Force, Special Organised Crime Unit (SOCU), Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit, and the Judiciary.
“We are committed to working with our partners to counter transnational criminal organizations that threaten safety and the stability in the region,” Parker said. “Getting to train with the 7th Group and partner nations during Tradewinds has been an amazing experience for all parties. We’re all in this together.”
The J7/9-7 Interagency Integration Division will continue to leverage the LEWG as a coordination mechanism and utilize the skillsets of the Department of Defense, U.S. law enforcement agencies, international organizations and allies to coordinate training and professionalization of partner law enforcement entities within and outside of the exercises program.
| Date Taken: | 06.25.2021 |
| Date Posted: | 06.25.2021 16:58 |
| Story ID: | 399800 |
| Location: | GY |
| Web Views: | 2,307 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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