TCI Regiment Soldiers conduct surveillance during a training exercise in defense of the Turks and Caicos Islands. TURKS AND CAICOS ISLANDS GOVERNMENT
LT. COL. ENNIS GRANT/TCI REGIMENT
The Turks and Caicos Islands (TCI) occupy a vast expanse of shallow water and comprise 40 islands — eight of them populated — spanning 948 square kilometers. This British Overseas Territory has 45,000 residents and plays an increasingly important role in maintaining the rules-based order of the Caribbean region and the southeastern approaches to the U.S. homeland.
TCI’s defense and security are the responsibility of the United Kingdom, but much of the power for the operations of the security forces has been shared locally.
The interdiction of drugs, weapons and people has been on a significant upward trajectory and is the primary focus of the TCI security forces. The Bahamas, Bermuda and the United States are TCI’s primary allies in the fight against illegal trafficking. U.S. agencies including the FBI and the U.S. Coast Guard conduct training with TCI security forces.
The archipelago of low-lying islands is home to the third-largest barrier reef system in the world. Tourism, the export of seafood and offshore finance drive TCI’s economy.
Like many of its Caribbean neighbors, TCI has significant security challenges. In recent years, illegal vessels entering the territory have increased dramatically, carrying illegal migrants, firearms and drugs. Drugs and weapons have a direct link to internal security challenges in the TCI. Over the years, the government has funded the bolstering of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force and the recently established Turks and Caicos Islands Regiment, a dedicated military force partly funded by the U.K. Ministry of Defence.
The Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force is responsible for maintaining law and order, preventing and detecting crime, and arresting offenders. The Turks and Caicos Islands Customs Department and Immigration Department have merged to become the Ministry of Immigration and Border Services, bearing responsibility for border security, customs enforcement, and regulating the import and export of goods. The ministry also oversees immigration and visa-related matters as well as border control to ensure the legality of individuals residing in or visiting the islands. The TCI Regiment, established in 2020, began operations in 2021. The regiment has responsibility for humanitarian assistance, disaster relief and border protection. Since its inception, it has provided significant support to the police and Ministry of Immigration and Border Services in border protection.
The regiment works to provide surveillance, logistics, reconnaissance and technical support to the police in securing the islands’ territorial integrity and sovereignty.
Joint operations among the police, immigration and the regiment have resulted in the detention of more than 3,000 illegal migrants within the TCI territorial waters from January 2023 to October 2023 and the interdiction of controlled drugs, weapons and ammunition. Interoperability forms part of the robust and broader security support for the islands.
The Bahamas, Bermuda, the U.K. and the U.S. are significant strategic partners of TCI. One of the key aspects of this partnership is the U.K.’s role in providing support and assistance to the TCI in matters of national security and disaster relief. The U.K., through its defense attache in Kingston, Jamaica, has trained the TCI Regiment’s first six commissioned officers at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and has offered training in leadership, security and seamanship. Also, the U.K. provides more than $200,000 in equipment and training by British Army instructors.
During the past three years, the Royal Navy has provided training for the TCI Regiment in humanitarian assistance and disaster relief. The Royal Navy has also conducted extensive maritime security patrols with the police and the regiment and helped with humanitarian assistance and disaster relief operations in the TCI, the most recent being in response to Hurricane Fiona in 2022. The U.K. provided overwhelming support for the TCI’s COVID-19 response through technical expertise and the delivery of thousands of vaccine doses. TCI was one of the first territories in the Caribbean region to receive COVID-19 vaccines and the first territory to reopen for business with more than 85% of the population vaccinated.
The Turks and Caicos Islands do not have a dedicated Coast Guard, but the Royal Navy aids in maritime security and search and rescue operations, mostly in disaster situations like hurricanes, in which British naval assets are dispatched after a storm’s landfall. The TCI Customs and Border Protection Agency plays a crucial role in securing the islands’ borders and ports in collaboration with the U.K. Border Force.
Although the United States does not have a direct role in the TCI’s defense, it engages in collaborative efforts to address common security challenges in the region. The U.S. has provided training through the FBI for members of the Royal Turks and Caicos Islands Police Force. The U.S. Coast Guard plays a significant role in enhancing maritime security in the Caribbean, including the TCI. Coast Guard units have conducted patrols, surveillance and joint operations with TCI personnel to combat illicit activities. The U.S. shares intelligence with TCI through its maritime domain awareness operations. Such operations have yielded significant successes in areas of illegal migration; illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing; and organized transnational criminal activity. To combat the latter, efforts are spearheaded by Operation Bahamas Turks and Caicos (OPBAT), which includes U.S. government agencies such as Customs and Border Protection and the Drug Enforcement Administration. This involves a coordinated effort to detect, disrupt, monitor, deter and interdict drug trafficking operations. The Commonwealth of the Bahamas is also a significant partner in OPBAT.
The Turks and Caicos Islands in 2022 signed a shiprider agreement with the Bahamas. The agreement is aimed at suppressing human smuggling and organized transnational crime. While the agreement is still new, it netted more than 300 illegal migrants in 2023.
The partnership with the U.K. and the U.S supports the regiment’s capacity to respond effectively to security challenges. This partnership, the TCI government hopes, will be further enhanced and sustained in the future as the regiment continues to advance in its growth and productivity. It is important that the partnership continues to provide the necessary tools to be ready, prompt and efficient in securing the land, sea and people of the TCI.
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