Air Force personnel are among the more than 150 members of the US military participating in the two-week Allied Forces Humanitarian Exercise, or FA HUM 2011, at Cumuto Barracks in Trinidad and Tobago. The exercise will simulate a catastrophic earthquake on the island nation, requiring assistance from outside countries. An Air Force Expeditionary Medical Support Health Response Team, a deployable medical unit, is there to practice treating patients. Fifteen volunteers from the Trinidad military acted as mock injured on April 8, the first day of the exercise. Also participating in FA HUM 2011 are military and civilian officials from Britain, Canada, Guyana, and Suriname. US officials said the exercise illustrates the US commitment to work with partners in Central and South America to strengthen friendships, bolster partner-nation capacity, and enhance regional stability. (Cumato Barracks report by 2nd Lt. Joel Banjo-Johnson)
The U.K. and the U.S. will continue to enjoy access to the ports, airfield, and workshops at Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean for at least another century, under a deal inked between the U.K. and Mauritius May 22.