I think it’s often forgotten that Venezuela has the largest oil reserves in the world and terrible governance and with Iranian influence. Trinidad and Tobago also a large oil and gas fields. When you consider the cptpp membership of Mexico and the Panama Canal with transit to Peru another cptpp member as well as all our historical links I would say the region is increasing in importance to the uk.wargame_insomniac wrote: ↑30 Nov 2023, 21:29Shame that HMS Dauntless is no longer in the area.
I belive that HMS Medway is returning to Carribean from her deployment in Falklands, (covering for HMS Forth's refit).
A River B2 OPV is great providing forward presence in low risk areas, assisting with patrollig and policing BIOT's Maritime EEZ, and conducting anti-drug smuggling actions. But if actual conflict is erupting in the area, would need a warship. Ad with today's anouncements of ships to both the Baltic Sea and the Persian Gulf, the RN escorts are painfully stretched.
Guyana is not a BIOT but is part of the Commonwealth.
Is suspect this tension has been rising for sometime and perhaps why the ministers decided an escort was required and dauntless spent some time down this part of the Caribbean exercising. I think it is worth nothing that the escort can conduct and prosecute the anti drug role an opv merely takes part in the operation they are not equal. The task is as big as it is in the gulf https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joint_Int ... orce_South
It highlights why having fwd deployed assets capable of escort or to term a loser definition stabilisation is valuable. As you have highlighted of all the RN surface fleet it is the requirement for multiple escorts in multiple locations for sloc that is priority.