Members of the RBR train to extinguish petroleum bombs during a November 2024 exercise. ROYAL BERMUDA REGIMENT
The Royal Bermuda Regiment (RBR) plays a pivotal role in maintaining public order and contributing to regional security. Mandated to provide a limited public order capability in support of the Bermuda Police Service (BPS), the RBR has invested significantly in training and international partnerships to enhance its operational readiness and effectiveness.
The regiment’s work includes the delivery of in-demand training overseas, which provides greater experience for RBR instructors and helps develop a unified approach to public order tactics throughout the Caribbean region.
Training for Public Order Operations
To ensure that RBR Soldiers are prepared for any civil unrest in Bermuda, the RBR selects and sends potential instructors to Great Britain for specialized training with the Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom. This course is delivered by the Mission Ready Training Centre based at Bassingbourn Barracks in Cambridgeshire. The program is meticulously designed to train and qualify exercise-conducting officers, safety supervisors and instructors. These qualifications empower units within the RBR to plan training sessions, conduct assessments and deliver realistic and demanding exercises autonomously.
Soldiers in the wider battalion first encounter public order training during their recruit camp continuation training. This foundational phase allows instructors to impart basic lessons and assess recruits before they join their respective companies. By standardizing this training, the RBR alleviates the burden on individual companies and ensures a consistent level of preparedness across the regiment.
Officers are mandated to conduct public order training annually to fulfill their missions and tasks as directed by the commanding officer. While most companies deliver this training internally using a pool of qualified instructors, larger training sessions or exercises may require additional instructors and safety staff from the wider regiment. In the past, the RBR has conducted joint public order training with the BPS to assess and enhance interoperability, tactics, techniques and procedures.
International Engagements and Growth
The RBR’s public order engagement extends beyond Bermuda’s shores, primarily under the umbrella of
exercise Tradewinds. This multinational exercise focuses on ground, maritime, law enforcement, and humanitarian assistance and disaster response training, supported by U.S. Southern Command (USSOUTHCOM) and its partners. Through exercise Tradewinds, the RBR has conducted public order training in Barbados, Belize, Guyana (twice) and St. Vincent. These engagements have been instrumental in honing skills and broadening operational perspectives.
The RBR also has collaborated closely with the Regional Security System (RSS) in Barbados to support its initiative to train, qualify and standardize public order training across all eight member states. In February 2022, the regiment delivered the basic public order instructors course, enabling the RSS to select and develop its own instructors for subsequent courses. As the RSS expanded its public order capability, a senior military instructor led further training to prepare an all-RSS training team for delivering the public order training during exercise Tradewinds 24 in Barbados. This collaboration was a significant achievement for both the RSS and the RBR, resulting in the RSS enhancing its capabilities with personal protective equipment, new public order policies and access to a pool of experienced instructors.
Mutual Benefits and Enhanced Capabilities
These international engagements offer mutual benefits. For the RBR, instructors gain experience in planning, coordinating and deploying overseas to deliver capabilities to the wider Caribbean region. The training track has evolved into one of the most requested courses, receiving commendations from students, USSOUTHCOM and the broader audience. Individually, instructors become better professionals, enriched by the experience of traveling and interacting with other forces in the region.
Partnerships Strengthen Defense
The RBR recognizes the crucial role that partnerships play in bolstering homeland defense and hemispheric security. The RBR’s contributions are aligned with supporting the U.S. and its allies in their commitment to regional cooperation and collective security efforts to counter common threats. By leveraging the superior capabilities of the U.S. and its allies, the RBR shares in the wealth of knowledge, resources and best practices. These partnerships allow the regiment to enhance its capabilities while contributing to the collective security of the region. Trusted collaborations enable the regiment to address shared challenges more effectively, ensuring stability and peace within the hemisphere.
The RBR’s dedication to rigorous training and international cooperation underscores its commitment to excellence in public order operations and regional security. Through specialized training programs, joint exercises and strategic partnerships, it continues to enhance readiness and contribute meaningfully to collective defense efforts. The regiment’s engagements not only strengthen operational capabilities but also foster relationships that are essential for addressing the complex security challenges of today’s world.
By embracing these opportunities, the RBR stands as a testament to the power of collaboration and the importance of preparedness in maintaining peace and security, both at home and throughout the region.