2015, a busy year for the armed forces in the Antilles

In 2015, the Armed Forces in the Antilles (FAA), a sovereignty force pre-positioned in the Caribbean arc, participated in missions to protect the territory and national interests while helping to strengthen operational links with partners in the area .
Off the coast of Martinique and Guadeloupe, the surveillance frigates Ventôse and Germinal as well as the coastal patrolman of the maritime gendarmerie Violette worked at sea to fight, in concert with French and foreign actors of State action at sea , against illicit drug trafficking by sea. One of the main security issues in the Caribbean region is illicit trafficking and, more specifically, drug trafficking. Based in Martinique and Guadeloupe, these buildings act “at the source”, from our French islands which serve as a real advanced base in the fight against flows before the products are delivered and dispersed in mainland France. Thanks to the joint action of the French services positioned in the Antilles maritime area, more than 8,4 tonnes of drugs were intercepted at sea, including 6,2 tonnes by French Navy frigates. The FAA have also carried out permanent action with Caribbean youth. 4000 young and old have been made aware in 2014/2015 of the spirit of Defense and of republican and civic values. 208 sessions of Defense and Citizenship Days (JDC) for the benefit of 6816 young people in Guadeloupe, Saint-Martin and Saint-Barthélemy and 5432 young people in Martinique were carried out in order to teach Defense, to identify, detect and detect '' guide young people in difficulty. And it is also 120 Martiniquans and nearly 160 Guadeloupeans who joined one of the three armies. _AF