Deputy commander of U.S. Southern Command visits Guyana

Vice Admiral Joseph D Kernan, the deputy commander of the United States Southern Command, arrived in Guyana on Wednesday for an official visit that will include meetings with senior defence and civilian leaders and bilateral security cooperation discussions.
Vice Admiral Kernan has already met with President Donald Ramotar.
He is to meet with Guyana Defence Force Chief of Staff, Commodore Gary Best, Opposition Leader David Granger, and Caricom Secretary General Irwin LaRocque, the U.S. embassy said in a release.

Vice Admiral Kernan will explore with Guyanese and Caricom officials avenues to strengthen security partnerships and enhance bilateral and regional security collaboration to combat illicit trafficking, respond to natural disasters, and advance a range of other shared security goals.
Vice Admiral Kernan‘ s visit underscores the collaborative efforts and common goals the United States and Guyana share in regional security and disaster relief, the embassy said. The Guyana Defence Force, the U.S. Southern Command, and the Special Operations Command South conduct a range of military activities each year encompassing military operations, force readiness, and mutual exchanges.
Military cooperation between the U.S. and Guyana supports the Caribbean Basin Security Initiative (CBSI), a regional partnership that seeks to enhance citizen security and counter transnational organised crime.
Cooperation also includes humanitarian and civic assistance exercises, such as Continuing Promise and Fused Response, the hemisphere’s largest annual Special Operations exercise, which improved the interoperability of participating forces and increased their capacity to confront common threats. Guyana hosted Fused Response in 2012.
The U.S. Southern Command is one of six U.S. geographically-focused unified commands; it conducts military operations and coordinates security cooperation with partner nations throughout the Caribbean, Central America, and South America. A navy special warfare expert, Admiral Kernan has also served on the navy staff headquarters commands of the special operations forces community, and within the Office of the Secretary of Defence.
His flag officer commands include the Naval Special Warfare Command and U.S. Naval Forces Southern Command/ U.S. Fourth Fleet.