News in brief: Caribbean

Exercise Tropical Dagger XIII, which ended on March 7 in Jamaica, displayed drone-enabled surveillance, intelligence fusion, tactical aviation assets, rapid-response weapons and maritime assault systems developed for counter-narcotics and urban warfare missions across the Caribbean.

One of the region’s most significant multinational special operations showcased weapons like the United States’ (US) assault rifles and precision carbines during live-fire drills. Troops also displayed tactical communications systems, range-finding systems, and surveillance technologies. Jamaica, Trinidad and Tobago conducted fast-rope and rappel operations from military helicopters. 

Operation Southern Spear, a counter-narcotics military operation led by the US, which began in November in the Caribbean and eastern Pacific, has transitioned from a surveillance-focused mission into a high-intensity kinetic theatre over the last two months. The Joint Task Force Southern Spear executed its 56th lethal kinetic maritime strike on May 4. The US is using autonomous interceptor robotic vessels and vertical take-off and landing drones to engage targets without endangering sailors. Long-endurance unmanned surface vehicles, which serve as a mobile sonar, are being used during the operation.

The Dominican Republic bolstered regional defence cooperation, focusing on crisis response, military readiness, interoperability, personnel recovery, and multidomain warfare, during Exercise CENTAM Guardian 2026 in April. The exercise was one of the first regional operations to integrate space awareness along with conventional land and maritime  missions. It featured interoperable command-and-control systems, encrypted communications, and naval surveillance weapon systems.

Amid evolving threats, several Caribbean countries are reframing defence spending policies over the last few months by focusing towards cyber-sovereignty in defence and treating digital infrastructure as a vital national security priority.

The Caribbean Community upgraded its Cyber Security and Cybercrime Action Plan, focusing on military-grade cyber resilience, encrypted government communications, and regional intelligence-sharing.

Haiti’s deepening security crisis has entered a more militarised stage over the last few months as Haitian security forces are fielding explosive drones to fight gangs and prevent them from extending their territorial sovereignty beyond Port-au-Prince. The drone campaign is believed to be assisted by a foreign private military firm, which is supplying surveillance, targeting, and tactical logistics.

According to the United Nations, militant groups now dominate crucial transport corridors and have aggravated strikes using military-grade rifles, improvised explosives, and ambush methods. Intelligence reports say that gangs use 

high-calibre assault weapons, belt-fed machine guns, and  ammunitions, which are trafficked.