Above: security officers in Antigua

By the Caribbean Journal staff

Antigua and Barbuda is readying for a major security exercise beginning on May 31, the government said Monday.

The “Trade Winds” exercise, which will last through June 10.

The country will also hold three separate workshops sponsored by the Caribbean Disaster Emergency Management Agency and held at the National Office of Disaster Services from May 12 to 16.

The Trade Winds exercise is a combination of military and disaster exercises “focusing on improving cooperation and humanitarian response in the region,” according to a statement from the government of Antigua and Barbuda.

The exercise is being sponsored by the United States Southern Command, which provides operations and humanitarian assistance in the Latin American and Caribbean region.

This year’s Trade Winds will include simulation exercises focusing on disaster management, including search and rescue, mass casualty management and relief management, among other areas.