Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) leaders hosted representatives from the United States Caribbean Basin Security Initiative-Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT) for a courtesy call on March 18, 2026. Commander Dominique Rigby, base engineering officer, accompanied by members of his leadership team, oversaw the gathering, which highlighted the enduring partnership between the two entities, a collaboration that was formally established in 2013.
Since then, this relationship has yielded noteworthy results for the RBDF, including:
Strategic Funding: Consistent financial support for departmental growth.
Technical Initiatives: Advanced engineering projects and modernized infrastructure.
Capacity Building: Specialized training programs that strengthen RBDF technical proficiency.
Rigby emphasized that technical resources and expertise that TAFT provides — including essential schematics, special tooling and critical spare parts — are vital to the RBDF’s mission. All of it ensures RBDF technicians are fully prepared and equipped to maintain the fleet’s interceptors and patrol vessels at peak performance and readiness.
Rigby, on behalf of Commander Defence Force Commodore Floyd P. Moxey, expressed his gratitude for TAFT’s unwavering commitment to the Engineering Department. To mark the milestone, a member of TAFT, Coast Guard Senior Chief (Mechanic) Chris Douglas was presented with a plaque as a symbol of the powerful partnership and the RBDF’s gratitude to the team and the U.S.
The RBDF, under Moxey’s leadership, is advancing improvements for the force and embracing modernization. The RBDF remains steadfast in fostering this alliance, which it views as a cornerstone of regional security and technical excellence.
TAFT is a small team of U.S. Coast Guard and U.S. Army engineers and logisticians who help Caribbean coast guards and maritime patrol units improve maintenance and operational readiness through technical assistance visits, a U.S. Southern Command News release says. TAFT operations support U.S. efforts to fortify regional security by improving maritime security and countertrafficking abilities of Caribbean partner nations.
In testimony before the Senate Armed Services Committee on March 19, Gen. Gregory M. Guillot, commander of U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) and the North American Aerospace Defense Command, said: “The Royal Bahamian Defence Force (RBDF) remains a valued USNORTHCOM partner in regional defense. The RBDF’s contributions to maritime security and counternarcotics efforts in the approaches to the homeland have been critical to shared success, and in January 2025, USNORTHCOM was proud to join The Bahamas and the Rhode Island National Guard in celebrating 20 years of collaboration through the State Partnership Program.”