Leaders Visit Partners

Posted in: September 2010
By
Sep 25, 2010 - 7:27:41 AM

Following recent elections in Trinidad & Tobago, senior leaders from the Delaware National Guard visited the newly sworn-in U.S. Ambassador to the republic, Beatrice Wilkinson Welters. The group also took the opportunity to visit with old friends from the Trinidad & Tobago Defense Force.

Delaware and Trinidad have been participating in the State Partnership Program since 2004. The objective of the program is to establish broad reaching ties between partner states and partner countries at all levels of society using the National Guard as a catalyst. It builds military to military, business to business, and civilian to civilian relationships through exchanges.

Ambassador Welters received an information brief detailing what the program has accomplished and has planned for the future. "I have only been here for a few months, but the two main items of focus in Trinidad & Tobago as I see it are security and disaster preparedness," she explained.

"The plan for 2011 includes a disaster management exercise and numerous conferences involving regional law enforcement. That is directly in lines with our focus," said Welters.

Delaware's Adjutant General, Maj. Gen. Frank Vavala, led the delegation from the first state and was accompanied by Brig, Gen. Scott Chambers, Assistant Adjutant General, Army and Chief of Staff, Col. Robert Legg. The group also met with Chief of Defense Staff of the Trinidad & Tobago Defense Force, Brigadier Edmund Dillon, and his top leaders. This meeting was to discuss a five-year plan for the partnership.

"We have had great success in the past, but success is not a destination," said Dillon. "Our goal is to take our experiences and mold them into an even better plan moving forward."

Gen. Vavala noted both Delaware and Trinidad & Tobago have new elected officials in charge of their governments. "We have a new governor and Trinidad & Tobago a new government. This program is a source of continuity and it's important we continue to build relationships."

Delaware's next visit to Trinidad & Tobago will take place this winter as the partners plan a major disaster management exercise in the spring of 2011.