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Work to establish the new Cayman Islands Regiment is moving rapidly forwards. Following a recruitment competition which saw over 70 people apply to serve as officers, His Excellency The Governor, Martyn Roper and the Honourable Premier Alden McLaughlin on Wednesday met the new men and women who will help to establish and lead the new force.

Three part-time, senior officers have been recruited who between them have over 38 years of officer experience in the British Army and the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. The Regiment will be commanded by Simon Watson formerly of the Royal Dragoon Guards and he will be supported by Simon Spiers who served in a range of senior roles including in Afghanistan and Iraq. Andre Mon Desir will also join the Regiment and has experience as an officer with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence force as a Senior Legal Advisor and Staff Judge Advocate. He was also formerly a Judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago and will become the Legal Adviser to the new Regiment.

The first six junior officers have also been recruited and are due to leave for Bermuda in mid-February to attend three weeks of initial training with the Royal Bermuda Regiment. The six will also attend officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst later this year. Five of the recruits are former members of the Caymans Islands Cadet Corps with the sixth providing former training experience from the RCIPS. The Junior Officers will serve as full time officers for a year before becoming reservists and reverting to their previous careers.

The Officers will be equipped and provided with uniforms by the UK Government during their basic training in Bermuda. On their return they will assist the senior officers to recruit the first 50 reservists who will all receive basic training in Bermuda in July. The new team will also be assisted by a Regimental Sergeant Major, who has thirteen years of former experience as a non-commissioned officer in the British Army including operational deployments, training and recruitment roles.

Governor, Martyn Roper said: “I am delighted that we have moved quickly to establish the Regiment. Its primary focus will be disaster preparedness and it will be up and running by August this year. The events of this week underline the importance of developing a Regiment in the Cayman Islands which will provide resilience against disasters, not only at home, but also to help our fellow Overseas Territories when in need. I am very grateful to Simon Watson and the other officers for stepping forward and volunteering to serve the Cayman Islands in this way. The junior officers will in turn receive some of the best military training available which will help to develop their leadership potential. We will watch their progress with keen interest.”

Premier, Alden McLaughlin commented: “The development of a regiment in the Cayman Islands is an important moment. We are blessed to live in a country which is safe and has excellent infrastructure but recent history, including this week’s earthquake and the devastating hurricanes that impacted the region in 2017 and 2019, highlight the need to adapt and ensure that we are prepared and resilient to face any threat. Having a trained and disciplined force which can be mobilised quickly is vital and will enhance the other initiatives which we have recently introduced including the increased resilience of our air operations unit and the excellent work that HMCI does to prepare and coordinate our response to disasters. It is great to see talent from the Cayman Islands Cadet Corp being developed with the excellent training they will receive, including at Sandhurst. I am grateful to Simon Watson and his team for volunteering and wish them every success.”