Deputy Commander of the US Southern Command, Vice Admiral Joseph D Kernan is to meet with President Donald Ramotar and senior defence and civilian leaders for bilateral security and cooperation discussions.
A press release from the US Embassy said Kernan arrived in Guyana yesterday for an official visit. His agenda also includes meeting with GDF Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best, Opposition Leader David Granger and Caricom Secre-tary-General Irwin LaRocque.
The vice admiral will explore with Guyanese and Caricom officials avenues to strengthen security partnerships and enhance bilateral and regional security collaboration to combat illicit trafficking, respond to natural disasters, and advance a range of other shared security goals. The visit underscores the collaborative efforts and common goals the United States and Guyana share in regional security and disaster relief. The GDF, the US Southern Command and the Special Operations Com-mand South conduct a range of military activities each year encompassing military operations, force readiness and mutual exchanges.
Military cooperation between the US and Guyana supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a regional partnership that seeks to enhance citizen security and counter transnational organised crime, Embassy said.
Cooperation also includes humanitarian and civic assistance exercises such as Continuing Promise and Fused Response, the hemisphere’s largest annual special operations exercise which improved the interoperability of participating forces and increased their capacity to confront common threats. Guyana hosted Fused Response in 2012, the release said.
The US Southern Command is one of six US geographically-focused unified commands that conducts military operations and coordinates security cooperation with partner nations throughout the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
A Navy Special Warfare expert, the vice admiral has also served on the navy staff, headquarters commands of the special operations forces community and within the Office of the Secretary of Defense. His flag officer commands incldue the Naval Special Warfare Command and the US Naval Forces Southern Command/US 4th Fleet.
