The Caribbean region is accelerating its efforts to counter the growing cyber threats affecting its digital environment. This comprehensive strengthening includes updating national and regional strategies, establishing incident response teams, and enhancing intelligence sharing to coordinate actions against major digital incidents, while actively promoting digital literacy.
The Caribbean Community (CARICOM) has prioritized cybersecurity and digital literacy, recognizing the profound impact of technological change on the economy, public safety and the daily life of its citizens. “The organization will seek to harness the potential of digital technologies — including artificial intelligence — to drive economic growth, strengthen public safety, and raise the quality of life,” said Jamaica’s Prime Minister Andrew Holness, chair of CARICOM, during the 49th Regular Meeting of the Conference of Heads of Government of CARICOM, held in Montego Bay in July 2025.
In September, the Caribbean Telecommunications Union (CTU) reaffirmed that the region has an updated cybersecurity strategy and action plan, key elements for anticipating and addressing digital threats. The strategy emphasizes improved detection, information sharing and coordinated response among member states.
Rodney Taylor, secretary general of the CTU, underscored the urgency of this approach. “It is necessary to implement incident response teams at the national and regional levels, where we can share information about threats. The first thing is to be able to anticipate the threat that is coming and not wait for it to happen.”
One of the fundamental pillars of this progress has been U.S. support for the development of the CARICOM Cyber Resilience Strategy 2030, which was launched in March 2024. This strategy empowers individuals and communities across the region, allowing each nation to strengthen its digital defenses according to its unique context, while benefiting from regionally shared knowledge and pooled resources.
According to Joseph Cox, CARICOM assistant secretary general, “this strategy is crucial to the security and stability of CARICOM’s Small Island Developing States (SIDS) due to their vulnerability to cyber threats and natural disasters. SIDS often have limited resources and capabilities to combat cyberattacks, making them more susceptible to disruptions in critical infrastructure such as water and electricity, financial systems and essential services.”
U.S. Ambassador to Guyana Nicole D. Theriot also highlighted U.S. support. “By investing in cyber resilience, CARICOM can mitigate the adverse effects of cyber threats, strengthen its capacity to respond effectively to cyber incidents, and foster greater confidence in the digital ecosystem. Together, our organizations seek to prioritize investment, innovation and cooperation to build resilient cyber defenses and safeguard the digital future of the Caribbean region.”
The strategy seeks to strengthen legal, regulatory and trust frameworks, as well as international relations. It was developed with the participation of more than 200 stakeholders from member states and partners and is close to being adopted as a regional framework for cyber defense.
The plan is structured around six strategic pillars, ranging from mature governance and human capital management to the defense of critical infrastructure and harmonized regulatory cooperation.
The focus on these points is essential, considering the Caribbean’s dual exposure to cyber threats and powerful organized crime networks. Erich Zschaeck, cybersecurity expert and cybersecurity scholar at Adolfo Ibáñez University in Chile, explained to Diálogo, a publication of U.S. Southern Command: “The open and fragmented geography of the Caribbean, along with porous borders, scattered archipelagos and high maritime traffic, has historically facilitated the movement of organized crime. That same physical and cultural reality […] is reflected today in the digital environment.”
The link between digital crime and the Venezuelan regime is a major concern. Regional experts contend that Tren de Aragua (TdA) is used by the Nicolás Maduro regime as a tool of asymmetric warfare to destabilize neighboring countries. The TdA has migrated to cyberspace, using techniques such as phone interception and cloning, social engineering and network profiling to identify victims and vulnerabilities. The TdA, for example, is heavily reliant on social media to execute extortion schemes, lure victims for human trafficking and sexual exploitation, and disseminate videos of extreme violence as a tactic of psychological warfare. “They are not necessarily seeking to collapse critical infrastructure, but rather to sustain and expand their illicit businesses,” Zschaeck adds.
The regional response focuses not only on policies and strategies but also on training and public awareness at the community level. In Kingston, Jamaica, the U.S. Embassy organized a Cyber Security Awareness Session with the Caribbean Community for Retired Persons (CCRP) in May 2025, aimed at teaching seniors how to protect their privacy and avoid online scams.
Similarly, the Jamaican Ministry of Education, together with the OAS, launched the National Cybersecurity Training and Certification Program for Youth, focused on simulations and real-life digital security scenarios.
At the regional level, CARICOM IMPACS and the Organization of Eastern Caribbean States implemented the Public Awareness Campaign on Cybersecurity and Cybercrime, financed by the World Bank.
In countries such as Saint Lucia and Dominica, initiatives included workshops, school campaigns, public announcements and community forums, with the goal of equipping the population with tools to navigate the digital world safely.
U.S. support is seen as essential to these efforts. “The United States has a key role to play in Caribbean security, not only from a military perspective but also in terms of civil and technological strengthening,” Zschaeck said. This support includes sharing knowledge, digital investigation methodologies, technical training and intelligence tools so that Caribbean countries can better anticipate and respond to emerging threats.