The Tribune

By AVA TURNQUEST

Tribune Chief Reporter

aturnquest@tribunemedia.net

THE failure of successive governments to train civilian leaders for the effective management of military forces has resulted in a lack of strategic vision, and contributed to the thriving nature of illegal immigration and other maritime law-breaking, according to a 2016 dissertation by Foreign Affairs Minister Darren Henfield.

In it, Mr Henfield states the country has left strategic development to chance, periodically throwing manpower and scare resources at problems in hopes of a miraculous outcome -- all while domestic and transnational crime threaten and jeopardise its tourism-driven economy.

He called for policymakers to operationalise its National Security Council (NSC) through improved civil-military relations to create a holistic strategy that encompasses the entire national security complex.

"Bahamian officials must prepare their NSC to manage the affairs of national defence, foreign relations, intelligence, and law enforcement in order for it to positively effect change of the status quo," he said.

"To achieve this outcome, the NSC must be enabled to create strategy, coordinate policy, and inform strategic operations aimed at safeguarding the country's borders and economic future.

"All aspects of national security and defence must be incorporated into a single administrable whole, including the RBDF, Royal Bahamas Police Force (RBPF), immigration operatives, intelligence agencies, diplomacy, and health and environmental ministries."

Mr Henfield's thesis, "Making the National Security Council 'Better in The Bahamas' To Resolve Illegal Immigration," was first published in 2015 and reissued in 2016 with some corrections, and was submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for his Masters in Security Studies at Naval Postgraduate School in Monterey, California.

This was before he was elected to office in May 2017.

Mr Henfield submits a dozen recommendations for the consideration of Bahamian policy makers and national security strategists, intended to address the major challenges associate with the "Haitian problem".

Some of his suggestions mirror recent steps taken by the Minnis administration concerning immigration enforcement, inclusive of a crackdown on persons who illegally hire migrants.

"After 43 years of independence," the dissertation read, "successive Bahamian governments have failed to evolve beyond the colonial model of knee-jerk reactions to security challenges. Instead of creating a comprehensive national security strategy, the country has left its strategic development to chance".

"As a result, responses to challenges overall have been reactionary and not anticipatory. Even existing challenges, such as the Haitian problem, remain without a broad, well thought-out response, beyond apprehension, detention, and forced repatriation. Because Haitian immigration and other localised issues do not directly impact the United States as does the drug trade, Bahamians will have to determine solutions on their own. Perhaps an involved National Security Council (NSC) explicitly geared toward advising the prime minister can inspire traction beyond the present posture."

Recommendations include: operationalise the NSC; enforce existing laws; target the gainful employment of illegal immigrants; restrict immigration vessels; enforce the SOLAS convention; building Haitian partnership to mitigate illegal immigration from Haiti; develop a comprehensive maritime agreement with Haiti; establish labour exchange in Haiti; decentralise RBDF and immigration operations; develop a forward operational RBDF base at Inagua; construct immigrant detention facilities at Mathew Town, Inagua; and develop a strategic communications campaign in Haiti warning of the potential perils of the voyage from Haiti to The Bahamas.

In the SOLAS convention, states are obligated "to establish uniform principles and rules geared toward promoting the safety of life at sea".

Mr Henfield theorised the determent of unsafe and overcrowded Haitian sloops from leaving Haiti is the responsibility of Haitian authorities. However, he suggests The Bahamas step in to render assistance given "the current enforcement and bureaucratic deficiencies in Haiti," and offer Bahamian resources and personnel to assist with the development of Haitian maritime law enforcement personnel and maritime platforms.

"Simply accepting the status quo relative to unabated Haitian immigration to The Bahamas has long been intolerable," he concluded.

"The recommendations made in this thesis-- which are by no means exhaustive of potential initiatives and actions that might be taken to mitigate the problem--are provided consideration and with a view of changing the status quo.

"In the present condition, The Bahamas will continue fighting the still unresolved and growing Haitian problem in the same manner as has been practiced for the past 50 years, and will likely reap the same circular results. Should the recommendations offered be accepted, focus will come to the problem and long-term solutions are likely to be formed, implemented, and realised.

"Moreover," he added, "Bahamians might begin to directly shape their strategic outcomes rather than waiting for uncontrollable events and others to do it for them. In any event, repeating the last half century relative to the Haitian problem in The Bahamas would be nothing short of absurd."