Leaders of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) welcomed Smita Rossetti, the British high commissioner to The Bahamas, and Lt. Col. Simon Dack, Britain’s newly appointed defense attache to the Caribbean, to RBDF headquarters at the Coral Harbour Base in Nassau on June 2, 2026, during a visit aimed at strengthening long-standing ties between The Bahamas and the United Kingdom. The RBDF commander, Commodore Floyd Moxey, and Rossetti discussed ways to strengthen bilateral relations and security partnerships.
Rossetti and Dack were given a tour of the Coral Harbour Base by Capt. Michael Hanna, commanding officer of the RBDF Southern Command. Hanna presented an overview of RBDF operational capabilities as well as maritime and defense initiatives.
The delegation also toured the patrol vessel HMBS Nassau, and the boat’s commanding officer, Cmdr. Sidney Whyms, briefed them on the vessel’s operational role and capabilities. Rossetti and Dack then took a short trip aboard an RBDF SAFE Boat steered by Leading Seaman Warren Godet.
Rossetti praised the RBDF and said spending time at the base and meeting officers from across the Defence Force was valuable. Many RBDF members spoke proudly of their time at Britannia Royal Naval College in Dartmouth, England. In the past five years, about a dozen RBDF personnel have graduated from the college, the U.K.’s principal training ground for naval officers.
Rossetti became the U.K.’s high commissioner to the Commonwealth of The Bahamas in August 2025 after her appointment in June that year. The high commissioner is the U.K. representative in a commonwealth nation, responsible for the direction and work of the high commission, including political work, trade and investment, media and cultural relations, and consular services.
Dack, who is based in Jamaica, is the main liaison between the U.K. Armed Forces and Caribbean Forces, advising on border security and regional disaster response. A Royal Marines officer with operational experience in Norway, North Africa and the Middle East, he assumed his post in March. Dack was appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire for gallant and distinguished service while in Iraq in 2003.
Rossetti and Dack’s visit reinforced the warm ties between The Bahamas and the U.K. and highlighted shared commitments to regional security, maritime cooperation and joint military operations.
In testimony before the United States 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, praised the RBDF and its close partnership with the U.S. “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.”