U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) Commander General Laura J. Richardson arrived in Guyana today to meet with local leaders to discuss the U.S. defence partnership with Guyana and CARICOM.
A statement from the US Embassy said that her visit is timely as Guyana is hosting TRADEWINDS, a foreign military interaction exercise designed to increase interoperability, enhance regional collaboration and stability, and increase response effectiveness to security threats common to the region.
U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)) is part of a multinational team working to advance security, governance, and economic opportunity.
An earlier release from the US Embassy said that Richardson is returning to Guyana nearly a year after her first visit to the country in August 2022.
During her stay, the General is scheduled to meet with Brigadier Omar Khan, GDF Chief of Staff, CARICOM Secretary General, Dr. Carla Barnett, and Ambassador Sarah-Ann Lynch, and will observe Tradewinds events and participate in its closing ceremony.
Richardson last met with Brigadier Khan in June during the Caribbean Nations Security Conference in Montego Bay, Jamaica, where Caribbean leaders gathered for talks on climate change and cyber defense.
The release said that the U.S. and Guyana enjoy a longstanding security partnership marked by strong collaboration between SOUTHCOM and the GDF that is focused on disaster preparedness; humanitarian assistance; maritime security; human rights; professional development; furthering the integration of women in peace, defense, and public-security missions; and countering transnational criminal organizations.
