Herschel Walker, United States ambassador to The Bahamas, paid a courtesy call in March to the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) headquarters in Nassau, a week after he visited there to hand over critical logistic equipment donated by the U.S. He met with Commander of the Defence Force Commodore Floyd Moxey and other members of the RBDF executive leadership on March 19. They discussed shared security interests, cooperation initiatives and opportunities to further strengthen bilateral relations.
The visits reaffirmed the enduring partnership between the nations, especially in maritime security and domain awareness, regional stability, and defense collaboration. Commodore Moxey thanked the U.S. for its continued support and comradery.
An example of that support was the donation on March 11 of three critical pieces of logistic equipment: two forklifts and a telehandler, which is a versatile hydraulic lifting machine similar to a forklift but equipped with a telescopic boom that can extend upward and forward. Along with training and spare parts, the equipment is worth more than $400,000. In February, the U.S. donated nearly $900,000 worth of equipment to the Bahamas Ministry of National Security to helpcombat drug trafficking. The donations included a drug incinerator, six boat lifts and two handheld scanners to detect illegal narcotics.
Also, the U.S. Air Force recently transported RBDF personnel returning home from deployment in Haiti after serving with the Gang Suppression Force, a United Nations-backed, multinational security mission designed to combat gang violence and restore stability. Such support emphasizes the importance of cooperation initiatives and joint efforts that contribute to safeguarding territorial waters and combating transnational threats.
“One word known to every warfighter who has ever required anything, anywhere, anytime is logistics,” Walker said at the ceremony to transfer the forklifts and telehandler to the RBDF on March 11. “These assets … will help enhance the RBDF’s ability to move, manage and store critical material, ensuring that they are ready to respond whenever the mission calls.”
After the ceremony, Walker toured Coral Harbour Base, including the Operations Command Centre and the HMBS Flamingo Monument. The memorial honors four RBDF Marines killed on May 10, 1980, when two Cuban MiG-21 supersonic fighter jets attacked and sank their patrol vessel, the HMBS Flamingo, in Bahamian waters.
Walker returned to RBDF headquarters on March 19 to meet with Commodore Moxey and the RBDF leadership team. Walker, along with U.S. Navy Cmdr. Victor Lange, senior military representative for the U.S. Military Group at the U.S. Embassy in Nassau, discussed security concerns shared by The Bahamas and the U.S. Walker expressed appreciation and gratitude to the RBDF for its lasting commitment to tackle these issues and reaffirmed the United States’ steadfast support, partnership and brotherhood.
In testimony before the U.S. 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.”