ORANJESTAD ā For the next three weeks, military engineers will train in CuraƧao and Aruba. Over 100 Dutch military personnel will participate in the annual Caribbean Engineer exercise. During the exercise, they will carry out work on defense sites and help build classrooms for the Fundashon Futuro Brillante.
The Dutch military personnel of 105th Engineer Company will train their technical skills and teamwork in CuraƧao and Aruba over the next few weeks. This annually scheduled exercise offers the engineers the opportunity to build and innovate under tropical conditions, putting their construction knowledge and skills to the test. During their stay in the Caribbean, they will work in various locations on technical projects that not only strengthen their own skills but also contribute to the community. During previous editions of Caribbean Engineer, the soldiers built a guard post for Carmabi at Shete Boka, a flamingo lookout tower in the Hermanus nature reserve, and they also rolled up their sleeves at the Kolegio Chaya Willems school.
This year, the military personnel in CuraƧao are helping Fundashon Futuro Brillante build additional classrooms. They are extending a boat ramp at Parera Naval Base, renovating guard posts at Wacao, and providing a canopy at the Daou shooting range so training can take place in all weather conditions. In Aruba, the engineers are working from the Savaneta Marine Barracks. There, they are improving a jetty and dismantling a boat ramp, among other things. Installations at the barracks are also being renovated, using heavy-duty cranes.
In the coming weeks, the engineers in CuraƧao and Aruba will be regularly seen with excavators, trucks, cranes, and shovels. These large and important pieces of equipment have been shipped from the Netherlands to the Caribbean so that the military can optimally perform their duties. Under tropical conditions, they will practice their skills, increase their deployability, and contribute to the infrastructure and the community, further strengthening the islands’ safety and resilience.
Images are from Caribbean Engineer 2024.
