Gallery: The 40th Exercise Tradewinds out of Trinidad and Tobago
The international exercise was co-hosted by the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force and United States Army South, seeing participation of military and security forces from across the Caribbean region and beyond to include a total 24 countries. Master Corporal Stéphanie Labossière, Canadian Armed Forces, took these images at reserve training area Tucker Valley Range
Exercise Tradewinds is a United States Southern Command (SOUTHCOM)-sponsored, multinational military exercise aimed at strengthening security cooperation and operational readiness among partner nations. The event occurs annually and is focused on maritime security, interagency coordination, and disaster response. Tradewinds occurs in the Caribbean each year, and this, the 40th iteration of the exercise, took place in and around the Chaguaramas Peninsula, home of the co-hosts, the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF).
Exercise Tradewinds 2025 ran from 26 April to 8 May 2025, and participants trained together on land, at sea, in the air, and in the cyber domain. The exercise is designed to build regional capacity to respond to transnational crime, humanitarian emergencies, and cyber threats.
US Embassy Chargé d’Affaires Dr Jenifer Neidhart de Ortiz said: “The partnership between the United States and Trinidad and Tobago exemplifies regional strength through collaboration. Together, we address shared threats like transnational crime and build resilience through training, humanitarian missions, and security efforts. Our long-standing partnership has provided medical care and disaster preparedness training, improved lives, and strengthened communities. Our cooperation ensures greater safety and stability across the Caribbean region. We are grateful for the close collaboration with our Trinidad and Tobago partners in the TTDF, and for the warm welcome provided from the government of Trinidad and Tobago.”
The countries taking part were Antigua and Barbuda, Argentina, the Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, Canada, Colombia, Dominica, the Dominican Republic, Ecuador, France, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Mexico, St Kitts and Nevis, St Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, Turks and Caicos, the UK, and the USA.
The TTDF was established in 1962. It is primarily responsible for defending the sovereignty of the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago, cooperating with civil authorities to maintain law and order, and offering assistance during crises or disasters. Additionally, the TTDF conducts ceremonial functions on behalf of the state and provides vital services such as search and rescue operations, which encompass preventing trafficking of illegal goods, monitoring shipping safety in national waters, and contributing to national development efforts.
At reserve training area Tucker Valley Range, members of the French Army and the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service (TTPS) board and descend from a US Army UH-60 Black Hawk during helicopter fast-rope training. A US Army multipurpose K9 waits for a command during improvised explosive device (IED) route clearance training.
July 2026
Issue
As another July rolls around, it’s wonderful to bring you the airborne policing edition of AirMed&Rescue. We have features on the development and strategies used during aerial missing person searches; the active threats that affect aviation and law enforcement services particularly; the bread and butter of police aviation, the patrol and support operations; and the increasing use of drones as a force multiplier and sometimes as a first responder.