The U.S. Embassy yesterday said that as part of the United States’ continued commitment to Guyana and its security, Navy Admiral Craig Faller, commander of U.S. Southern Command, will visit from January 11-13.
A release from the Embassy said that he will meet with government and defence leaders and discuss the bilateral security partnership between the United States and Guyana.
His visit will come days after the scheduled arrival in Guyana’s waters of a US Coast Guard vessel.
During his stay, the release said that Faller is scheduled to meet with President Irfaan Ali and Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess. The Admiral will also take part in the signing of an Acquisition and Cross Servicing Agreement between the militaries of the two countries which will pave the way for the exchange of goods or services of equal value to support future bilateral defence cooperation.
The release said that the United States and Guyana have a longstanding history of security cooperation.
“The defense partnership between the two countries includes collaboration against regional threats and challenges, capacity-building engagements, bilateral training, expertise exchanges, exercises, and participation in military education programs. During the Secretary of State Mike Pompeo’s visit in 2020, the two countries signed a Shiprider agreement which allows for maritime cooperation between the two countries”, the release noted.
The U.S. Southern Command’s top military leader last visited the country in 2017, when Guyana became the first South American nation to host the Caribbean Nations Security Conference.
The release said that the command is one of the Department of Defense’s six geographically-focused unified commands with responsibility for U.S. military operations in the Caribbean, Central America and South America.
Stone
Meanwhile, the GDF said that its Coast Guard and the United States’ Coast Guard will tomorrow be engaged in the first of a series of joint exercises as part of the operationalization of the Shiprider Agreement ratified by the two countries in 2020.
The GDF said that the exercise will take place off the coast of Guyana and will focus mainly on illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing. It will be conducted in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Stone, which is currently in the region for a multi-country tour.
A Maritime Administration Department (MARAD) notice in yesterday’s Stabroek News said that the naval exercise area is approximately six nautical miles from Guyana’s coast and in the vicinity of the Demerara Main Ship’s Channel. As such, MARAD advised mariners to steer clear of the area.
Last month, the USCG had said that the vessel had embarked from its base in Pascagoula, Mississippi on a multi-month deployment to the South Atlantic with countering illegal, unregulated, and unreported fishing, as part of its mission.
According to a USCG release, the brand new Legend-class national security cutter, one of the U.S. Coast Guard’s flagships, will provide a presence and support national security objectives throughout the Atlantic under the umbrella of Operation Southern Cross.
This is the service’s first patrol to South America in recent memory, and will engage regional partners, including Guyana, Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina.
In September, Guyana and the US signed a maritime pact for joint patrols which will see personnel from the two countries being placed on each other’s vessels.
The Shiprider agreement is a reactivation and endorsement of an agreement already agreed to many years ago but never entered into force.
In September, the Coast Guard released the Illegal, Unregulated, and Unreported Fishing (IUUF) Strategic Outlook, which it says reaffirms the agency’s commitment to global maritime security, regional stability, and economic prosperity.
According to Vice Admiral Steven Poulin, commander of U.S. Coast Guard Atlantic Area, “The U.S. Coast Guard is committed to the protection of living marine resources. IUU fishing threatens the health of fish stocks and adversely impacts those who follow global norms and national laws. This is a global issue, and IUU is a problem too big for any one nation. Only by working together can we protect livelihoods, ensure ports remain economically productive, and support and sustainable fisheries industry. Stone’s patrol demonstrates our commitment to the established rules-based order while addressing IUU fishing wherever a Coast Guard cutter is deployed”.
Operation Southern Cross is conducted in conjunction with U.S. Southern Command, charged with managing operations in Central and South America by working collaboratively to ensure the Western Hemisphere is “secure, free, and prosperous.”
Nearly half the world’s population relies on fish for 20 per cent of their animal protein. IUU fishing removes access to this valuable protein source, particularly to the most vulnerable coastal States. IUU fishing also results in tens of billions of dollars of lost revenue to legal fishers every year as well as undermines the sustainable management of these resources, pushing them to the limits of their capacity, the release added.
In recent months, large numbers of Chinese ships have been closely monitored fishing in proximity to waters of several South American countries in the Pacific Ocean.
