Willemstad:--- Marine Major A. Boonstra took over the command of the Marine Barracks Suffisant in Curaçao on Thursday July 4. He received the command from Marine Major Steven Baan. This took place during a ceremonial meeting whereby, besides invitees, the whole crew of the barracks was represented.
The new Commander Boonstra continues the current line of cooperation with local chain partners. He is committed to ensuring that local units are ready now and in the future to be deployed quickly when the authorities request it within the Caribbean Region in general and around Curaçao in particular.
Steven Baan looks back on a special period of time: “During the past years, the CURMIL significantly expanded and developed and can easily compete with equivalent units in the Caribbean Region.
The recent addition of women to this unit shows that equality is not just a nice aspiration but a reality. The (re)start of the Social Training Program, in which the government of Curaçao collaborates interministerially with defense to offer the youth of Curacao a great program for the future, can serve as an example for many partnerships within OUR kingdom. All this in a larger and more modern barracks. Nos Suffisant”.
Suffisant is a naval barracks where the operational soldiers of the CURMIL is housed and where both Curaçaoan and Aruban soldiers are trained at the Carib training center. The Caribbean soldiers start their military career here during their first basic military vocational training. The Social Training Program also takes place here, and Suffisant is the base for the Curacao Volunteer Corps (VKC). The Social Training Program is an important part of the collaboration project with the government, where part of the project includes a 4-month training course. This military training is mainly intended to teach basic skills and offer a better future.
Parera Naval Base
A transfer of command also took place at Parera Naval Base this week. Naval Captain-Lieutenant Hezemans handed over command to Naval Captain-Lieutenant Heerik on Monday, July 1. This happened with a ceremony on the exercise area of the Naval Base.
