PETERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Colo. - Elements of the North American Aerospace Defense Command and U.S. Northern Command Public Affairs Office conducted an information exchange with public affairs officers from Bahamian government agencies at Royal Bahamas Defence Force Base Coral Harbour Sept. 7 and 8.
Members of the RBDF, Royal Bahamas Police Force, the Bahamian Immigration Department, Customs, the Bahamian Prison System, and the Ministry of National Security met with and shared public affairs knowledge with representatives from NORAD and USNORTHCOM.
The USNORTHCOM members conducted briefings and roundtable discussions on media relations and photojournalism over the course of the two days.
"We wanted to give them an idea of how we do our public affairs mission, see how they do theirs and have everybody learn something from one another," said Air Force Capt. Dustin Hart, NORAD and USNORTHCOM Public Affairs officer. "Seeing the things they’re doing and getting an opportunity to show them the things we do that they can incorporate into their mission was a really good experience."
Bahamian Senior Lt. Sonia Miller said the media specialists and journalists in her office learned a lot from the USNORTHCOM representatives and hopes there will be opportunities for more exchanges in the future.
"The benefit here for the uniformed branches of the Bahamas is that the photographers are now well-versed in what to look for when they’re taking their photos and what not to do," she said. "It has been an awesome experience, especially in how to conduct media interviews and how to get your message across, which is one of the main ingredients of doing our job."
Hart said the greatest benefit was in strengthening the ties between the Bahamas and USNORTHCOM.
"I think it's always important to have a positive relationship with the people in the nations in our area of responsibility," he said. "I don’t think you could find a much better relationship than the one that we have with the Royal Bahamas Defence Force, and maintaining that relationship will only help USNORTHCOM to conduct its mission more efficiently and effectively."