(Seated L-R) CO Simon Watson, Premier Alden McLaughlin, Governor, Martyn Roper, Simon Spiers, Andre Mon Desir. Standing are the junior officers of the Cayman Islands Regiment

(CNS): Following a recruitment campaign for officers for the Cayman Islands’ own regiment, three senior and six junior officers have now been appointed to establish and lead the new force. The regiment will be commanded by Simon Watson, formerly of the Royal Dragoon Guards. He will be supported by Simon Spiers, who has served in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Andre Mon Desir, who will be the legal advisor and staff judge Advocate.

Mon Desir was formerly a judge of the Supreme Court of Trinidad and Tobago and served in that country’s defence force, according to a press release from the governor’s office.

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 group will also attend officer training at the Royal Military Academy at Sandhurst later this year.

They are Theodore Kelly Jr, Selena Sookoosingh, Halston Farley, Shanice Kelly, Gabe Rabess and Jonassi Swaby. Five of the recruits are former members of the Cayman Islands Cadet Corps and the sixth has 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 experience as a non-commissioned officer in the British Army, including operational deployments, training and recruitment roles.

Governor Martyn Roper said he was delighted with work done to establish the regiment.

“Its primary focus will be disaster preparedness and it will be up and running by August,” he said. “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.”

Roper added, “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, who has been very keen on the development of a regiment in Cayman, said this was 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,” he said.

“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.”

McLaughlin also said it was good to see talent from the 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,” he added.