Royal Bahamas Defence Force

Last updated
Royal Bahamas Defence Force
Bahamas Defence Force emblem.svg
Emblem of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force
Founded1980;44 years ago (1980)
Service branches
  • Squadron
  • Commando Squadron
  • Military Police & Force Protection
  • Harbour Patrol
  • Port Security
HeadquartersNew Providence Island
Website rbdf.gov.bs
Leadership
Commander-in-Chief King Charles III
Minister of National SecurityWayne Munroe KC
Commander Defence Force Raymond King
Personnel
Military age18
Available for
military service
84,903 [1] , age 18-49 (2010 est.)
Fit for
military service
62,779 [1]  males, age 18-49 (2010 est.),
63,954 [1]  females, age 18-49 (2010 est.)
Reaching military
age annually
2,840 [1] males (2010 est.),
2,758 [1]  females (2010 est.)
Expenditures
BudgetUS$67,106,665 (2018)
Percent of GDP0.5% (2018) [2]
Related articles
Ranks Military ranks of Bahamas

The Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) is the military of The 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 of CARICOM's Regional Security Task Force. The task force has seen action in the United Nations mandate in Haiti 1994.

Contents

History

By an Act of Parliament, the RBDF became an official entity on 31 March 1980, falling under the Ministry of National Security. The King of The Bahamas, King Charles III, is Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force with his ceremonial role exercised by the Governor General of the Bahamas. The Defence Force also has adopted its own system of medals and awards.

The only combat action the RBDF has ever been involved in has been against Cuba. On 10 May 1980, the HMBS Flamingo attempted to arrest two Cuban fishing vessels, the Ferrocem 165 and the Ferrocem 54, for poaching in Bahamian waters. In retaliation, two Cuban MiG-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. [3] Fenrick Sturrup, Austin Smith, David Tucker and Edward Williams, all Bahamian Defence Force Marines, were killed in the attack. [4] 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 Force

The RBDF is a strictly naval force, differing from the rest of its Caribbean and Commonwealth of Nations counterparts in there being no regular land-based military formations. With about 1,600 members however, it is the largest of the Commonwealth 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 the Royal 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; now U.S. Marine Corps-style digital woodland camouflage is worn (as opposed to the U.S. Army universal camouflage worn by The Royal Bahamas Police Force Drug Enforcement Unit). Similarly, the first weapons employed by the RBDF were the British Sterling submachine gun and the L1A1 SLR; now the U.S.-manufactured M4 carbine and the Heckler & Koch UMP submachine gun are employed for front-line duties.

The M101 105mm howitzer towed artillery piece is also employed, with fifteen guns in RBDF service.[ citation needed ]

Structure

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 British Royal 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 and Maintenance 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 in El Salvador and Haiti.

Ships

The main ships in the force are two Bahamas-class and four Legend-class offshore patrol vessels. [5] The latter are the first part of the nine-vessel acquisition contract signed with the Damen Shipyards Group in April 2013. [6] [7] 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 be Stan 4207 design, four of the new vessels will be Stan 3007 design, and the final vessel will be 55 metres (180 ft) landing craft style transport craft, Damen Stan Lander 5612.

HMBS Bahamas P-60 in Nassau HMBS Bahamas in Nassau.jpg
HMBS Bahamas P-60 in Nassau

Equipment

Naval ensign of the RBDF Naval Ensign of the Bahamas.svg
Naval ensign of the RBDF
VesselOriginTypeIn serviceNotes
Patrol vessels
HMBS Bahamas United States patrol boat 1 [8] Bahamas class
HMBS Nassau United States patrol boat 1 [8] Bahamas class
HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Legend class
HMBS Durward Knowles The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Legend class
HMBS Leon Livingstone Smith The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Legend class
HMBS Rolly Gray The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Legend class
HMBS Lignum Vitae The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Floral Class
HMBS Cascarilla The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Floral Class
HMBS Kamalame The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Floral Class
HMBS Madeira The Netherlands patrol boat 1 [8] Floral Class
Landing craft
HMBS Lawrence Major The Netherlands landing craft / auxiliary1 [8] Damen Stan Lander
A Cessna 208B similar to this one is used by the RBDF Cessna 208B Grand Caravan Private, EHTE Deventer-Teuge, Netherlands PP1173686052.jpg
A Cessna 208B similar to this one is used by the RBDF

Air Wing

The Air Wing was formed on November 26, 1981, two years after the creation of the defence force. Initially three Aero Commanders were purchased from Bahamasair and operated, but these were sold off in 1990. In 1992, a Cessna 402 was added with a Cessna 421 soon after. By late 2005, the delivery of a Super king Air 350 took place. In May 2009, a Cessna 208 Turbine Caravan with floats and a Partenavia P.68 were delivered and significantly improved the RBDF's surveillance and transport capabilities.

Roundel available for use by RBDF Air Wing aircraft Roundel of the Bahamas.svg
Roundel available for use by RBDF Air Wing aircraft

In December 2019, Bahamas established the Bahamas Unmanned Aerial System program, which contracted Swift Engineering to provide 55 unmanned aerial vehicles. [9]



Current inventory

AircraftOriginTypeVariantIn serviceNotes
Transport
Partenavia P.68 Italy transport / utility1 [10]
Cessna 208 United States transport / utility 208B 1 [10]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrol boat</span> Small naval vessel

A patrol boat is a relatively small naval vessel generally designed for coastal defence, border security, or law enforcement. There are many designs for patrol boats, and they generally range in size. They may be operated by a nation's navy, coast guard, police, or customs, and may be intended for marine, estuarine, or river environments.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Nicaraguan Navy</span> Military unit

The Nicaraguan Navy, officially the Naval Force of the Nicaraguan Army, is the naval service branch of the Nicaraguan Armed Forces. The navy's mission is to ensure the defense and security of the islands, territorial waters and exclusive economic zone of Nicaragua in the Pacific Ocean and Caribbean Sea.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Out Islands</span> Group of islands in The Bahamas

The Out Islands are the islands that make up the Bahamas with the exception of New Providence Island, where the capital and largest city, Nassau, is located, and Grand Bahama Island, where Freeport is located. The Abaco Islands and Eleuthera islands are among the Out Islands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damen Group</span> Dutch shipbuilding company

The Damen Group is a Dutch defence, shipbuilding, and engineering conglomerate company based in Gorinchem, Netherlands.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Barbados Coast Guard</span> Military unit

The Barbados Coast Guard is the maritime element of the Barbados Defence Force. Its responsibilities include territorial defence, patrolling Barbados' territorial waters and Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), as well as conducting maritime law enforcement, counter-narcotic, search and rescue, fisheries and environmental protection and the enforcement of port & harbour regulations. The Barbados Coast Guard currently is based at its headquarters at BCGS PELICAN in Bridgetown, the capital of Barbados. The base consists of a partially enclosed base for the coast guard fleet to dock. It consists of a small fleet, including its flagship BCGS TRIDENT.

HMBS <i>Bahamas</i> (P-60) Bahamas offshore patrol vessel

HMBS Bahamas (P-60), along with sister ship HMBS Nassau (P-61), is a 198 foot Offshore Patrol Vessel delivered to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force on 12 January 1999. Both vessels were built by Moss Point Marine of Escatawpa, Mississippi to a design by Vosper International Ltd, Naval Architects and Designers, Glasgow, UK. Bahamas serves the RBDF by patrolling Bahamian waters in anti-poaching and illegal immigration control missions, notably interdicting Haitian vessels, as well as drug enforcement missions in cooperation with the United States Coast Guard and Drug Enforcement Administration as part of Operation Bahamas, Turks and Caicos (OPBAT).

HMBS <i>Nassau</i> (P-61)

HMBS Nassau (P-61) is one of two patrol boats, with HMBS Bahamas (P-60), operated by the Bahamian military. Like her sister ship, Nassau is armed with several heavy Browning M2 .50 caliber machine guns and a light auto cannon. She is commonly used for capturing illegal immigrants, anti-piracy and smuggling missions, hurricane relief, search and rescue, routine patrols, and assisting maritime police.

Damen Stan Patrol vessel

The Dutch shipbuilding firm The Damen Group, designs and manufactures a wide variety of vessels, including a range of related patrol vessels known generally as the Damen Stan Patrol vessels.

HMBS <i>Leonard C Banfield</i>

HMBS Leonard C Banfield is patrol vessel of the Barbados Coast Guard. She was commissioned on 14 September 2007. She is built to the design of the Damen Group's Stan 4207 patrol vessel, a class of 42-metre (138 ft) 240 ton vessels.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Damen Stan Patrol 2606</span>

The Damen Stan 2600 is a line of patrol vessels built or designed by Netherlands shipbuilding firm the Damen Group.

County-class patrol vessel Type of Jamaican Coast Guard vessel

The County class is a class of offshore patrol vessels built for the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (JDF). Based on the Dutch Damen Stan 4207 patrol vessel, the first vessel entered service in 2005. Three were originally purchased, but only one remains in service with the JDF. In 2017, an additional two vessels were purchased and both remain in service as of 2023. The Jamaican vessels are equipped with a stern launching ramp, capable of deploying and retrieving a small jet boat, for rescue or pursuit. The vessels' bridge electronics were supplied by Alphatron Marine.

USCGC <i>Margaret Norvell</i>

USCGC Margaret Norvell (WPC-1105) is the fifth Sentinel-class cutter, based at Miami, Florida. She was launched on January 13, 2012, and delivered to the Coast Guard on March 21, 2013. She was commissioned on June 1, 2013. She was commissioned at Mardi Gras World in New Orleans, near where her namesake, Margaret Norvell, staffed a lighthouse for decades.

Damen Stan Patrol 4207

The Dutch shipbuilding firm The Damen Group, designs and manufactures a range of patrol vessels, of various sizes, including the Damen Stan 4207 Patrol Vessels. The Damen Stan patrol vessel designs' names include a four digit code, where the first two digits are the vessel's length, in metres, and the second two digits are its width.

The Damen Stan Patrol 3007 is a patrol vessel in The Damen Group's family of Damen Stan Patrol vessels. The base design is built around an axe bow, and shallow draft.

HMBS Lawrence Major is a support vessel operated by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. She was built in the Netherlands by The Damen Group, to an adaptation to its Damen Stan Lander 5612 design.

HMBS Lignum Vitae is the first of four Damen Stan 3007 patrol vessels commissioned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. She was projected to be ready for delivery to the Bahamas in June 2015.

The HMBS Arthur Dion Hanna is the first of four Damen Stan 4207 patrol vessels commissioned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force. She was built in the Netherlands, and delivered to the Bahamas in May 2014.

The HBMS Cascarilla is the second of four Damen Stan 3007 patrol vessels commissioned by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force.

AB <i>Los Roques</i>

Los Roques (T-93AB) is the third of four Damen Stan Lander 5612 landing craft Venezuela ordered from Dutch shipbuilding firm the Damen Group, for the Bolivarian Navy of Venezuela. They were built in one of Damen's shipyards in Cuba. Her sister ships are the AB Los Frailes, AB Los Testigos, and AB Los Monjes.

AB <i>Los Monjes</i>

AB Los Monjes (T-94) is the fourth of four Damen Stan Lander 5612 landing craft Venezuela ordered from Dutch shipbuilding firm the Damen Group. They were built in one of Damen's shipyards in Cuba. Her sister ships are the AB Los Frailes, AB Los Testigos, and AB Los Roques.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Bahamas, The. "CIA – The World Factbook". CIA.gov. Retrieved 23 February 2011.
  2. In 2010 the total estimated capital and recurrent expenditure on the RBDF was $48,901,806 of a total Budgetary Expenditure of $1,819,306,320. This represents about 0.7% of GDP. (http://www.bahamas.gov.bs/finance)
  3. Webbe, Stephen (May 19, 1980). "Bahamas seethes over patrol-boat sinking". The Christian Science Monitor . Boston, Mass. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved March 12, 2013.
  4. Maura, Matt (May 13, 2011). "Prime Minister says country remains 'indebted' to marines of HMBS Flamingo". The Freeport News . Freeport, Bahamas. Archived from the original on April 13, 2013. Retrieved 2013-03-12.
  5. Rosamond, Jon (2014-07-24). "Bahamas inducts first vessels in fleet renewal effort". London: IHS Jane's Defence Weekly. Archived from the original on 2014-07-27. Retrieved 2017-03-26. 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.
  6. "Royal Bahamas Defence Force contracts Damen for fleet of long range patrol craft 19 Apr 2013". Damen Group. 2013-04-19. Archived from the original on 2014-07-18. In addition, eight patrol vessels, four of the Damen Stan Patrol 4207 type and another four type SPa 3007, will join the Bahamas' fleet.
  7. "Lock, Stock and a Sandy Bottom". Think Defence. 2013-05-13. Archived from the original on 2013-08-15. Retrieved 2014-07-18.
  8. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Trade Registers Archived 2011-05-13 at the Wayback Machine . Armstrade.sipri.org. Retrieved on 14 September 2017
  9. Sanchez, Alejandro (February 3, 2020). "Bahamas Defence Force acquires UAVs". IHS Jane’s. 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.
  10. 1 2 Hoyle, Craig (2023). "World Air Forces 2024". FlightGlobal . Retrieved 26 March 2024.