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| Royal Bahamas Defence Force | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force | |
| Founded | 1980; 46 years ago (1980) |
| Service branches |
|
| Headquarters | New Providence Island |
| Website | rbdf |
| Leadership | |
| Commander-in-Chief | Charles III,King of the Bahamas, represented byDame Cynthia A. Pratt,Governor-General of the Bahamas |
| Minister of National Security | Wayne Munroe KC |
| Commander of the Defence Force | Floyd Moxey |
| Personnel | |
| Military age | 18 |
| Expenditure | |
| Budget | US$67,106,665 (2018) |
| Percent of GDP | 0.5% (2018)[1] |
| Related articles | |
| Ranks | Military ranks of Bahamas |
TheRoyal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is the military ofthe Bahamas. Since the Bahamas does not have an army or an air force, its navy composes the entirety of its armed forces. Under The Defence Act, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has been mandated to defend the Bahamas, protect its territorial integrity, patrol its waters, provide assistance in times of disaster, maintain order in conjunction with the law enforcement agencies of the Bahamas, and carry out any such duties as determined by the National Security Council. The Defence Force is also a member ofCARICOM's Regional Security Task Force. The task force has seen action in the 1994United Nations mandate inHaiti.
By anAct of Parliament, the RBDF became an official entity on 31 March 1980, falling under the Ministry of National Security.Charles III, King of the Bahamas, isCommander-in-Chief of the Defence Force, while his ceremonial role is exercised by theGovernor-General of the Bahamas. The Defence Force also has adopted its own system of medals and awards.
The only fighting action the RBDF has ever been involved in has been againstCuba. On 10 May 1980, HMBSFlamingo attempted to arrest two Cuban fishing vessels, theFerrocem 165 and theFerrocem 54, for poaching in Bahamian waters. In retaliation, two CubanMiG-21s invaded Bahamas airspace and fired on the patrol boat. The Cubans sank the ship with their 23 mm cannons, and fired upon Marines in distress in the water.[2] Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams, all Bahamian Defence Force Marines, were killed in the attack.[3] Fifteen crewmen and the Commander made it safely to Duncan Town, on Ragged Island, after being picked up by the fishing vessels they had boarded. The poachers were convicted in July 1980, and Cuba eventually admitted responsibility, paying the Bahamas $10 million in compensation for the incident.
The RBDF is a strictly naval force, differing from the rest of itsCaribbean andCommonwealth of Nations counterparts in there being no regular land-based military formations. With about 1,600 members however, it is the largest of theCommonwealth Caribbean navies.
Serving members of the RBDF are assigned to one of seven major sub-sections: Headquarters, Administration, Engineering, Supply, Military Police, Operations and The Commando Squadron. The Operations Department contains the mobile arms of the RBDF and comprises the main operational units:
The Commando Squadron is a sizable force of 500 Special Marine Commandos. Training is conducted with U.S.Special Operations Forces and British equivalents (such as theRoyal Marines) in special operations and maritime warfare. A common training practice is to have a marine recruit conduct a two-mile swim carrying a forty-pound rucksack.
Several changes in equipment have been seen in the recent history of the RBDF. Originally British-style uniforms were worn by RBDF personnel; nowU.S. Marine Corps-style digital woodlandcamouflage is worn (as opposed to theU.S. Army universal camouflage worn by TheRoyal Bahamas Police Force Drug Enforcement Unit). Similarly, the first weapons employed by the RBDF were the BritishSterling submachine gun and theL1A1 SLR; now the U.S.-manufacturedM4 carbine and theHeckler & KochUMP submachine gun are employed for front-line duties.
TheM101 105mm howitzer towed artillery piece is also employed, with fifteen guns in RBDF service.[citation needed]
There are two career tracks in the RBDF: Marine (rating) & Officer (ranks). The enlisted personnel ranks range from Marine Seaman to Force Chief Petty Officer. The Officer ranks range from Midshipman to Commodore. The force is organized and trained along the lines of the BritishRoyal Navy and many of the officers attend British service academies.
The Headquarters of the Defence Force are at The New National Security Complex on John F. Kennedy Drive , on New Providence Island. The commanding officer, known as "Commander Defence Force", is Commodore Dr. Raymond King. Additional bases are located in Matthew Town,Inagua, Marsh Harbour,Abaco, Freeport,Grand Bahama, and Gun Point,Ragged Island.
The RBDF uses the British Royal Navy style of rank insignia, and all ships' names carry the prefix HMBS (His Majesty’s Bahamian Ship).
Due to a lack of ships, most RBDF members do not spend time at sea, and are used for other military or non-military roles. The Defence Force is primarily an armed service, whose roles also encompass some aspects of a coast guard as well as a disaster relief agency. These roles require Defence Force personnel to assume the duties of:Naval and infantry personnel,Police Officers (Peace Officer),Customs Officers,Immigration Officers,Fisheries Inspectors,Emergency Rescue Personnel,Search & Rescue,Sentry,Detention Centre security andMaintenance of Navigational Aids.
The RBDF offers a high school course called the Royal Bahamas Defence Force Rangers.
Peacekeeping missions have been conducted with the participation of RBDF members inEl Salvador andHaiti.
The main ships in the force are twoBahamas-class and fourLegend-class offshorepatrol vessels.[4] The latter are the first part of the nine-vessel acquisition contract signed with theDamen Shipyards Group in April 2013.[5][6]Most of the missions consist of anti-poaching patrols, anti-drug patrols,immigration enforcement, search and rescue, or general National Defence missions.
Four of the new vessels will beStan 4207 design, four of the new vessels will beStan 3007 design, and the final vessel will be a 55-metre (180 ft) landing craft style transport craft,Damen Stan Lander 5612.
| Vessel | Origin | Type | In service | Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Patrol boats | |||||
| HMBSBahamas | United States | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Bahamas class | |
| HMBSNassau | United States | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Bahamas class | |
| HMBSArthur Dion Hanna | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Legend class | |
| HMBSDurward Knowles | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Legend class | |
| HMBSLeon Livingstone Smith | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Legend class | |
| HMBSRolly Gray | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Legend class | |
| HMBSLignum Vitae | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Floral Class | |
| HMBSCascarilla | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Floral Class | |
| HMBSKamalame | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Floral Class | |
| HMBSMadeira | Netherlands | Patrol boat | 1[7] | Floral Class | |
| Landing craft | |||||
| HMBSLawrence Major | Netherlands | Auxiliary /Landing craft | 1[7] | Damen Stan Lander | |
TheAir Wing was formed on November 26, 1981, two years after the creation of the defence force. Initially three Aero Commander 500s were purchased fromBahamasair and operated, but these were sold off in 1990.[8] In 1992, a Cessna 402 was added with a Cessna 421 soon after.[8] By late 2005, the delivery of aSuper King Air 350 took place.[8] In May 2009, a Cessna 208 Turbine Caravan with floats and aPartenavia P.68 were delivered and significantly improved the RBDF's surveillance and transport capabilities.
In December 2019, Bahamas established the Bahamas Unmanned Aerial System programme, which contractedSwift Engineering to provide 55unmanned aerial vehicles.[9]
| Aircraft | Origin | Type | Variant | In service | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Transport | |||||
| Cessna 208 | United States | Transport /Utility | 208B | 1[10] | |
| Partenavia P.68 | Italy | Transport / Utility | 1[10] | ||
Retired aircraft includeAero Commander 500,Beechcraft Super King Air 350,Cessna 402,Cessna 421.[8]
The first of four 42 m Legend-class (Stan Patrol 4207) offshore patrol craft, HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna (P421), was commissioned into service on 20 June, having completed its transatlantic delivery voyage in May, and commenced its maiden operational deployment on 27 June.
In addition, eight patrol vessels, four of the Damen Stan Patrol 4207 type and another four type SPa 3007, will join the Bahamas' fleet.
The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) has established the Bahamas Unmanned Aerial System (BUAS) programme, after signing a contract with Swift Tactical Systems for the delivery of 55 unmanned aerial vehicles.
