00:00Prime Minister Wayne Stooge provided the country's position at the inaugural America's Counter Cartel Conference at the U.S. Southern
00:07Command, ahead of the Shield of America's Summit on Saturday.
00:37Prime Minister Wayne Stooge.
00:42He told the gathering T&T's stance with the U.S. and partners in confronting the cartels.
00:49We are not observers in this fight. We are on the front line with you.
00:55We have lost law enforcement officers in this fight, including one of our sailors during the interception of a semi
01:04-submusible, which was transporting a couple tons of cocaine.
01:07We have lost thousands of citizens over the last two decades to violent crime, fueled mainly by the actions of
01:17the new narco-terror networks.
01:19He told leaders T&T's economic fortunes have changed, subjecting the country to structural constraints, hindering authorities from delivering the
01:28appropriate border security which is needed.
01:30Once classified as high-income earning and because of our GDP, that classification turns out to now be strategically misleading
01:40and thus limits our ability to access critical security assistance, donations of equipment and other resources.
01:49This at a time when our borders are critically exposed, leaving us at a critical disadvantage as we face off
01:58with sophisticated and well-financed narco-traffickers who move their goods northwards.
02:05He said if T&T is to be a valuable and effective partner in this South Bay sum, then assets
02:11are needed to disrupt cartels and to protect shared economic interests in the energy sector.
02:16We stand ready. Our personnel are highly trained and our doctrine aligns with yours.
02:23We require assets in the interim that would enhance our maritime domain awareness, as well as enable us to carry
02:32out targeted reinforcement that would serve both our interests and would deliver immediate hemispheric benefits.
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