‘Compagnie in de West’ of Defence has its rotation in the Caribbean Region

During a short Military ceremony the Compagnie in the West rotation 42 transferred its duties to the next unit, rotation 43. The new Commander, Captain Hans relieved his predecessor Captain Milan in a traditional paddle transfer. Rotation 43 will remain in the Caribbean for four months. This company, the ‘A-Koningscompagnie’ , is familiar with the islands in the Caribbean. The last time the unit was active in Curaçao was a very special period. From March 2020 to July 2020, the company mainly provided assistance during the emerging corona pandemic in Curaçao.

Captain Milan looks back on a special period: “In addition to technical and tactical training to prepare the “Bulls” for our follow-up assignment in the middle of next year, we were also able to mean a lot to local charities.” In addition to training, the departing unit has also provided support to local authorities and civilian charities on both Curaçao and Bonaire in recent months. Supporting civil authorities is one of the three main tasks for Defense in the Caribbean Region.

Captain Hans is looking forward to be able to train his men, in the Caribbean Region: “Our goal is to work a lot closely with local partners on the islands of Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao. But also the training under different circumstances than in the Netherlands. The Grenadiers, as the members of the Company are known, have been looking forward to this rotation and are ready for the challenges of ultimately being better trained and prepared to deploy anywhere in the world.”

The Compagnie in the West (CidW) is a permanent unit of the Royal Netherlands Army in the Caribbean region, which can be deployed for a variety of tasks. This way the company is also ready for any emergency assistance during the hurricane season. The company will train on Aruba, Bonaire and Curaçao for the next four months. The ‘A-Koningscompagnie’ is normally based in Schaarsbergen in the Netherlands. An infantry unit consists of various military expertise such as the engineers, intelligence and snipers.