Above: HSV SWIFT vessel (Photo: US Navy)

By the Caribbean Journal staff

A group of civilian and military teams on the US naval vessel HSV Swift recently completed a three-week mission in Northern Haiti, focusing on strengthening the rule of law in the country.

“Over the last three weeks, the ship’s crew, both civilian and military, worked together with our Haitian and international partners in support of the US governments’ commitment to help the Haitian people build a better future here,” said Commander Wright, the SWIFT’s mission commander.

The ship, which was moored at Cap Haitien, carried out a number of projects in areas including agriculture, infrastructure, the rule of law and governance.

The ship’s crew partnered with the Haitian Ministry of Public Health and the Haitian National Police, among other agencies, to increase their capacity to serve Haiti.

Investigators from the Naval Criminal Investigation Service also trained with members of the Haitian National Police and Haiti’s National Port Authority.

The US Marine Corps, in cooperation with UN Police, trained 38 HNP and Coast Guard officers at the Chilean Battalion in Cap Haitien.

Haitian Interior Minister Thierry Mayard-Paul said the mission improved Haiti’s physical infrastructure and made “big contributions for knowledge and capacity building.”