PHILIPSBURG-Soldiers of the Dutch Caribbean Ministry of Defence will be conducting a hurricane emergency relief exercise on Sint Maarten and Saba in the next two weeks. This is reported by the Dutch Caribbean Ministry of Defence.
During the exercise, called ‘Windward Express’, the soldiers train together with local security partners to increase their preparedness and strengthen cooperation, with the aim that the soldiers can be deployed quickly and effectively after a hurricane has passed.
Various units of the Ministry of Defence are participating in the hurricane exercise, including marines from the Sint Maarten Detachment, marines from Marine Squadron Carib Aruba, and the Curaçao military. The navy ship HNLMS Pelikaan, the boat groups with their FRISC vessels, and other support units are also part of the hurricane emergency relief exercise.
After arriving on Sint Maarten, the units will carry out exercises on a rotational basis on both Sint Maarten and Saba. “The activities help the military to become familiar with the specific conditions on the islands and to work with local partners, such as government organizations, non-governmental organizations and companies that play a crucial role in emergency relief,” the Ministry of Defence said.
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