Dutch Defense Personnel prepares for ‘Windward Express’ to train emergency responders together with security partners
Dutch Defense Caribbean Region military forces during the forthcoming two weeks will hold a hurricane emergency relief exercise on Sint Maarten and Saba, the Dutch Ministry of Defense announced on Sunday.
During this exercise, with the name ‘Windward Express’, soldiers will train together with local security partners to increase their preparedness and strengthen cooperation, with the aim of ensuring that the military can be deployed quickly and effectively after the passage of a hurricane.
Several units from the Dutch Armed Forces will be participating in ‘Windward Express’, including Marines from the Detachment Sint Maarten, Marines from Marine Squadron Carib Aruba, and soldiers from Curaçao.
The Dutch military vessel HLNMS Pelikaan, boat groups, with their FRISC boats, and other supporting units, are part of the hurricane emergency training relief exercise.
After arrival on Sint Maarten the units will perform exercises on a rotational basis on both Sint Maarten and Saba. These activities will help the military to become familiar with the specific conditions on the islands and to collaborate with local partners, such as government organizations, non-governmental organizations and companies that play a crucial role in emergency response.
By performing a practice exercise as ‘Windward Express’ on the Windward Islands, in the event of an actual hurricane threat, the military is optimally prepared to provide emergency aid, support civil authorities and maintain public order immediately after the passage of the storm.