Speeches

Underwater Hazardous Device Detection and Search Course

July 29, 2005

Remarks by U.S. Ambassador John D. Rood
Anti-terrorist Assistance Program Graduation
Aviation Security Management Course
Police College, Nassau

Congratulations to all of you upon your successful completion of this course.

Just last week I had the opportunity participate in the graduation ceremony for an Underwater Hazardous Device Detection and Search Course.

Today I am pleased to be a part of the graduation ceremony for this Aviation Security Management course.  This type of training has been an integral part of the State Department’s Anti-terrorism Assistance Program since 1996.

Thirty of you from the Royal Bahamas Police Force, Royal Bahamas Defense Force, the Ministry of Transportation, the Department of Civil Aviation, and the airport authorities in Nassau, Freeport and the Family Islands have now completed training that will help to make air travel safer for passengers and cargo.

You have worked closely and cooperatively over the past two weeks to develop a greater appreciation for and understanding of aviation security management.

You have learned about ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) standards and practices, as well as other security requirements for flights to and from The Bahamas.

You have been trained in threat assessment, search techniques, passenger and baggage screening, crisis management, access control and identification systems, and security management. 

You will be on the front lines of the war against terrorism.  You will be detecting, identifying, and safely dealing with threats to airports, airplanes, and, ultimately, our national economies.

You have been well prepared to deal with circumstances that we hope will never arise, but which we must be prepared to deal with.

As an island nation, The Bahamas' busy airports support a vitally important lifeline connecting the islands and their residents.  Vigilance in the protection of these airports is necessary to maintain the strength of Bahamian society and its economy.

And, as the arrival and departure points for millions of American tourists every year, protection of Bahamian airports is also critically important to the security of the United States and its people.

We understand the need to enhance our shared security.  This course is just the latest example of the many joint activities carried out by the State Department, and military, security, and law enforcement personnel of the United States and The Bahamas.

Thank you to the instructors from the Transportation Security Administration’s training academy in Oklahoma City.

Thank you to the airport authority for providing facilities for some of the practical exercises.

I especially thank those of you who are have completed this program and are now better equipped to protect the economy, the security, the people, and the freedom of our two countries.

Congratulations on your graduation.