Joint Caribbean Lion 2006
Joint Caribbean Lion 2006 was an international military maneuver on the territory of the Netherlands Antilles , which was carried out between May 23, 2006 and June 16, 2006. In addition to the Netherlands , the USA , Canada , France and Belgium were also involved in themaneuver.
The United States was represented by the aircraft carrier USS George Washington , the amphibious landing ship USS Fort McHenry and the frigate USS Taylor . The American unit was not led by the carrier, but by the multifunctional landing ship USS Bataan under the command of Commodore Capt. Donna Looney, commander of Amphibious Squadron 2 .
The contingent comprised over 4,500 soldiers, including 2,000 Americans. In addition, tanks, several frigates from other nations, F-16 fighter jets and a submarine were used.
For the Netherlands the exercise was of the utmost importance, as its three branches of the armed forces had never before carried out an exercise of this magnitude, neither among themselves nor in cooperation with other countries.
The scenario of the maneuver includes an amphibious landing operation on the island of Curacao . Venezuela , which was represented by observers at the maneuver, sees the maneuver as a provocation. It fears the establishment of permanent US military bases in the Netherlands Antilles , which are only 40 kilometers from the Venezuelan coast. Such bases would pose a threat to the security of the country due to their geographical proximity to Venezuela. According to Venezuela, it is unclear whether all Leopard 2 tanks and soldiers were withdrawn after the exercise. Venezuela's President Hugo Chávez had previously acquired 100,000 AK-74 and 33 military helicopters from Russia. Even the UK , Italy and Spain were invited.
The US denied Chavez allegations that it was preparing to invade, on the grounds that it was an annual exercise.
Web links
- BROAD OUTLINE OF EXERCISE JOINT CARIBBEAN LION 2006 - Main purpose of the exercise Joint Caribbean Lion - Information from the Dutch Ministry of Defense (eng.) ( Memento of September 28, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) (Eng.)
- Report of the US Navy (Engl.)
- Radio Netherland The Hague and Caracas 'row' but stay on good terms April 3, 2006 Report of the International Venezuelan Council for Democracy ( Memento of August 5, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- Report of the Spiegel in its international edition (Engl.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Venezuela: a porous and sensitive border ( Memento of June 7, 2007 in the Internet Archive ) noticiasaliadas.org. Access date: November 4, 2006
- ↑ a b c Source: Article by Jack Dorsey in Virginian Pilot of May 24, 2006. Accessed November 4, 2006 ( Memento of April 16, 2007 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Source: Associated Press in the Navy Times . Date of discovery: November 4, 2006 ( Memento of May 24, 2006 in the Internet Archive )