PHILIPSBURG – Dutch Defence personnel in the Caribbean have begun a two-week hurricane response exercise on Sint Maarten and Saba aimed at strengthening their ability to provide emergency assistance following a major storm.
The annual exercise, known as “Calm Horizon,” brings military personnel together with local security and emergency-response partners to practice operations that could become necessary if a hurricane strikes the islands.
Several Defence units are participating, including the naval support vessel HNLMS Pelikaan, FRISC fast-interception boats and military personnel from Curaçao and Aruba, known as CURMIL and ARUMIL. The participating units will rotate between Sint Maarten and Saba during the exercise.
Training will focus on different scenarios involving the aftermath of a hurricane, when damage to infrastructure and disruption of essential services could require rapid outside assistance.
A major objective of Calm Horizon is improving coordination between Defence and organizations already operating on the islands. Military personnel will therefore train alongside government agencies, aid organizations and private-sector companies involved in preparing for and responding to emergencies.
According to Defence, joint exercises allow participating organizations to align their procedures while giving military personnel greater knowledge of the local environment in which they could be required to operate during an actual disaster.
Following a severe hurricane, military units can be deployed to provide emergency assistance, support civil authorities and help maintain safety and public order.
The participation of CURMIL and ARUMIL also gives military personnel based in Curaçao and Aruba practical experience in supporting other Caribbean parts of the Kingdom during a crisis.
Providing assistance to the civilian population following natural disasters is one of Defence's principal responsibilities in the Caribbean region.
Defence said exercises such as Calm Horizon are intended to ensure that personnel, equipment and partnerships are ready before a hurricane occurs, allowing assistance to be mobilized quickly when communities need it most.