PHILIPSBURG:--- An engineer unit of the Royal Netherlands Army will be exercising in both Aruba, Curaçao, and Sint Maarten in the coming period. Today the associated large equipment arrived on Curaçao by sea transport. The exercise, called Caribbean Engineer, will begin on September 27 and will last four weeks.
The unit, 101 Engineer Battalion, consists of engineers with various expertise. They are soldiers and also specialists in the field of construction. In the coming period, they will carry out a program consisting of various military training courses (including at Wacawa and Arikok National Park) and they will work on multiple construction tasks for various parties, including Defense itself.
For example, the construction experts in the nature reserve near Sint Joris (Curaçao), commissioned by Carmabi, are working on a footbridge at a small water crossing. At Arikok National Park in Aruba, the military is supporting, among other things, a Kite Power sustainability project, where a test will take place to generate energy using a large kite. Various infrastructural facilities are required for this.
The engineer unit will also get to work for Defense itself. For example, a practice house is being built at Marine Barracks Saveneta for ‘Military Operations on Urban Terrain’ (MOUT).
Training in climatically challenging conditions
Practicing on Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten has a lot of added value for the unit arriving from the Netherlands. The climatic conditions in the Caribbean are comparable to the conditions in many mission areas. This exercise therefore gives the army personnel the opportunity to train in similar circumstances.
The unit consists of more than 150 soldiers which are spread over the three islands. For the construction work, 40 (military) construction vehicles were shipped by sea to Curaçao and Aruba. This equipment arrived today at the port in Willemstad. Some of the vehicles are unloaded there, after which the ship sails on to Oranjestad in Aruba. A small part of the unit follows an exercise program on Sint Maarten. The Caribbean Engineer exercise will last until October 22.
COVID-19
All entering military personnel have been tested negative for COVID-19 in advance (no longer than 48 hours) and are fully vaccinated. The unit follows the guidelines that apply in Aruba, Curaçao and Sint Maarten.
