U.S. Southern Command donates millions in equipment to B.D.F.
In Belize, there is a popular saying that reads: “A good friend is better than pocket money” and a multimillion dollar donation to the Belize Defense Force by the U.S. Government lends credence to that statement. Today at Price Barracks in Ladyville, officials from the U.S. Southern Command handed over the hefty package to their Belizean counterparts. News Five’s Duane Moody was there and has this report.
Duane Moody Reporting
The military forces in Belize and the U.S. have been working diligently to minimize the impact of illegal transnational trade within the region. And today, courtesy of the ‘Enduring Friendship’ program by the U.S. Southern Command, the Belize Defense Force acquired two fully equipped—including the latest technology—speed boats and other supplies to assist with the interception of illegal activities at sea and increase the span of the network through collaboration with neighboring countries.
Brigadier General Dario Tapia, Commandant, B.D.F.
“Today, we had a very important milestone in Belize’s maritime security. We had gifted to us from the U.S. Government through the United States Southern Command, two interceptor vessels and a package. And the package also included two towing trucks, spare parts for the vessels and also a training package as well.”
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Eldridge, Chief Military Liaison Officer, U.S. Embassy
“The combination of the equipment with the sustainment package, which is a training package designed to train the crew on how to operate and maintain and sustain it over long period of time as well as to utilize the technology that’s the boat, the overturn, the horizon capabilities to communicate both with the land, the Belizean Defense Force and out on the coastal waters with other boats.”
Brigadier General Dario Tapia
“And so it was a significant donation valued at approximately U.S. three point six million dollars.”
That’s over seven million Belize dollars. And Chief Military Liaison Officer for the U.S. Embassy, Lieutenant Colonel Chris Eldridge, says that a donation of this magnitude is possible due to the Enduring Friendship program—started in 2006.
Lieutenant Colonel Chris Eldridge
“The enduring friendship program started in 2006. It is a costal program built to bolster the capabilities of countries to fight the interdiction of drugs coming through the coastal waters. It’s our hope that these new vessels will become the interdiction spearhead in the campaign to bring back and sustained sovereignty and the coastal security.”
Brigadier General Tapia says the donation is indeed a timely one and will finally satisfy a demand that could not be met for some time now.
Brigadier General Dario Tapia
“These vessels will be used to intercept go fast vessels. It’s a capability that we all wanted for many years, we didn’t have it, we now have it. We’re able to put it at sea, Belizean waters. What is important with what is on board of these vessels are the state of the art equipment and radio suite. We are now able to see at night with these vessels—they have a range of approximately one mile to be able to see at night. So it is a significant boost to our capability out in the high seas and at night to conduct night operations.”
The Belize National Coast Guard is the B.D.F.’s military counterpart that specializes in maritime law enforcement and according to Commandant of the Coast Guard, Captain Johnny Borland, they too will benefit from the donation. Duane Moody reporting for News Five.
