Dutch military forces in the Carib­bean will carry out a hur­ricane emergency response exercise on the Windward Islands June 14-20, working closely with local safety and emergency response part­ners on St. Maarten, Saba and St. Eustatius.

The goal of the training is to ensure that military personnel can be deployed quickly and effectively in the event of a real hurri­cane threat.

The exercise will include small-scale activities across the three islands. Military units will also use the op­portunity to become fa­miliar with the local ter­rain and to connect with key stakeholders, includ­ing government agencies, non-governmental organ­isations (NGOs) and com­panies involved in disaster response.

Most of the personnel involved are already sta­tioned in the Caribbean. Participating units include the Marine Detachment St. Maarten; the Marine Squadron Carib from Aruba; the naval support ship “HNLMS Pelikaan”; fast raiding, interception and special forces craft (FRISC) vessels; and sev­eral support units from the Royal Netherlands Navy and Marine Corps.

By training directly on the Windward Islands, the Dutch armed forces aim to be fully prepared to provide emergency aid and conduct rescue missions immedi­ately after a hurricane. Supporting civil authorities during natural disasters is one of their main tasks in the Caribbean region.

The Daily Herald.