Enhancing disaster preparedness

Work to establish the new Cayman Islands Regiment is moving rapidly forwards.  Following a recruitment competition which saw over 70 people apply to serve as officers, His Excellency The Governor, Martyn Roper and the Honourable Premier Alden McLaughlin today met the new men and women who will help to establish and lead the new force.

Three part-time, senior officers have been recruited who between them have over 38 years of officer experience in the British Army and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.  The Regiment will be commanded by Simon Watson formerly of the Royal Dragoon Guards and he will be supported by Simon Spiers who served in a range of senior roles including in Afghanistan and Iraq.  Andre Mon Desir will also join the Regiment and has experience as an officer with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence force as a Senior Legal Advisor and Staff Judge Advocate.  He was also formerly a Judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago and will become the Legal Adviser to the new Regiment.

The first six junior officers have also been recruited and are due to leave for Bermuda in mid-February to attend three weeks of initial training with the Royal Bermuda Regiment. The six will also attend officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst later this year.  Five of the recruits are former members of the Caymans Islands Cadet Corps with the sixth providing former training experience from the RCIPS.  The Junior Officers will serve as full time officers for a year before becoming reservists and reverting to their previous careers.

The Officers will be equipped and provided with uniforms by the UK Government during their basic training in Bermuda.  On their return they will assist the senior officers to recruit the first 50 reservists who will all receive basic training in Bermuda in July.  The new team will also be assisted by a Regimental Sergeant Major, who has thirteen years of former experience as a non-commissioned officer in the British Army including operational deployments, training and recruitment roles. 

Governor, Martyn Roper said: “I am delighted that we have moved quickly to establish the Regiment. Its primary focus will be disaster preparedness and it will be up and running by August this year.  The events of this week underline the importance of developing a Regiment in the Cayman Islands which will provide resilience against disasters, not only at home, but also to help our fellow Overseas Territories when in need.   I am very grateful to Simon Watson and the other officers for stepping forward and volunteering to serve the Cayman Islands in this way.  The junior officers will in turn receive some of the best military training available which will help to develop their leadership potential. We will watch their progress with keen interest.”

Premier, Alden McLaughlin commented: “The development of a regiment in the Cayman Islands is an important moment.  We are blessed to live in a country which is safe and has excellent infrastructure but recent history, including this week’s earthquake and the devastating hurricanes that impacted the region in 2017 and 2019, highlight the need to adapt and ensure that we are prepared and resilient to face any threat.  Having a trained and disciplined force which can be mobilised quickly is vital and will enhance the other initiatives which we have recently introduced including the increased resilience of our air operations unit and the excellent work that HMCI does to prepare and coordinate our response to disasters.  It is great to see talent from the Cayman Islands Cadet Corp being developed with the excellent training they will receive, including at Sandhurst. I am grateful to Simon Watson and his team for volunteering and wish them every success.”

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Statement Cayman Islands Regiment By Premier Hon. Alden McLaughlin, MBE, JP, MLA January 2020 Legislative Assembly

Mr. Speaker, I am pleased to provide an update on the progress of the Cayman Islands Regiment.

The work to establish the new Cayman Islands regiment is moving at a good pace and I’m happy to report to this House that three part-time senior officers have been recruited who between them have over thirty eight years of officer experience in the British Army and the Trinidad and Tobago Defense Force.

The Regiment, Mr. Speaker, will be commanded by Simon Watson who was formerly a Dragoons Guard in the British Army and he will be supported by Simon Spiers, who has served in a range of senior military roles, which included tours in Afghanistan and Iraq.

In addition Mr. Speaker, Andre Mon Desir will also join the Regiment. Andre was a former Chairman of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps Committee and came through the ranks of the Cadets’ programme. He has experience as an officer with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force as a Senior Legal Advisor and Staff Judge Advocate and he will become the Legal Advisor to the new Regiment.

The first six junior officers have also been recruited and are due to leave for Bermuda in mid-February to attend three weeks of initial training with the Royal Bermuda Regiment. They will also attend officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst in the United Kingdom later this year.

Mr. Speaker I’m very happy to say that five of the six recruits are former members of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the sixth recruit has former training experience with the Royal Cayman Islands Police Service.

These Junior Officers will serve as full time officers for a year before becoming reservists and returning to their regular careers.

The Junior Officers will be equipped and provided with uniforms by the United Kingdom Government during their basic training in Bermuda and upon their return to our Islands they will assist the Senior Officers in the recruitment of fifty reservists who will all receive basic training in Bermuda in July.

Mr. Speaker this new team will be assisted by a Regimental Sergeant Major, who has thirteen years’ experience as a non-commissioned officer in the British Army including operational deployments, training and recruitment roles.

The development of this new regiment in the Cayman Islands is an important moment for us. We are all very fortunate to live in a country that is safe and has excellent infrastructure but Mr. Speaker as we have seen only this week with the earthquake and back in 2017 and 2019 the devastating hurricanes that hit our neighbours and friends so hard, not to mention Hurricane Ivan in 2004, we need to evolve and adapt to ensure we are ready to face any threat.

Mr. Speaker having a trained and disciplined force in Cayman will have a positive impact on youth development and leadership in our Islands. It will also boost security and increase our resilience on disaster management and the support that we can offer across the wider Caribbean. This new Regiment along with the recently increased resilience of our air operations, the great work that our Hazard Management team does to prepare and coordinate disasters will help us to meet the needs of our Islands today and into the future.

Mr. Speaker, this is a Cayman Islands regiment. It is not some outpost of the British Army. It is locally based and overwhelmingly it will be made up of Caymanian recruits. Seventy people applied for those six posts. The interest has been incredible. We need experienced officers, so initially it is inevitable that they will be from overseas. However, the Regiment will provide a pathway to the best and brightest Caymanian recruits to become the officers of the future.

The Cayman Islands Regiment is another important symbol that we are maturing as a nation, ready to take responsibility for our own affairs and able to take our place in the world. It will be a symbol of pride for all Caymanians and it will be an organization that our young people can aspire to be a part of.

I look forward to keeping this House and the country updated as we take the future steps to create the Cayman Islands Regiment.