Members of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force on the Guardian Radio AM talk show on Monday.
NASSAU, The Bahamas--Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) Commodore Floyd Moxey said on Monday that work is underway to modernise the force and improve its effectiveness.
Speaking with Cecil Newry on the talk show Guardian Radio AM, Moxey said a maritime surveillance system, as well as fleet upgrades are among the key ongoing initiatives.
“We have a coastal radar that is fully operational in Matthew Town, Inagua,” he said.
“And this radar is used to identify targets at a range that you cannot see with the natural eye. So, in Inagua, which is in the southern Bahamas, we have threats of illegal migrants from Haiti, and so that radar gives us the ability to detect and track folks moving in that area.”
Moxey said a coastal radar has also been installed at Gun Point, Ragged Island, and it is expected to be fully operational this month.
“Once a target is detected, we will have small interceptors at these stations that will go out and positively identify the threat or the target,” he said.
Moxey said another radar will be installed in Abaco and another in Grand Bahama, where the primary concern is human smuggling.
He said the RBDF has also, for the first time, deployed a vessel to Abaco in light of human smuggling concerns, and also to enforce fisheries laws and assist in any search and rescue efforts.
As it relates to the RBDF fleet, Moxey said an analysis determined that $29 million is needed to optimise it.
“We basically did an analysis of where we are, and we determined that to have the fleet at optimum operability … we will need to maybe put $29 million into that fleet, and the government has committed to ensuring that we get the funds to do that, and we are in the process of doing that right now,” he said.
Moxey said that vessels acquired during the Sandy Bottom project a decade ago need to be refitted. He said the requested funds will allow the RBDF to return two of the boats back to their manufacturer in the Netherlands to be refitted.
“It will be staggered, because we want to ensure that we have an operating fleet as we progress and that we are able to protect the waters of The Bahamas and defend The Bahamas against transnational crime,” he said.
He added, “In a year or two, we should be up to 80 or 90, maybe 100% operational.” ~ The Nassau Guardian ~
