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The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment is the main ground force element of the
Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (TTDF) is the military organization responsible for the defence of the twin island Republic of Trinidad and Tobago. It consists of the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment, the Trinidad and Tobago Coast Guard, the ...
. It has approximately 10,000 men and women organized into a Regiment Headquarters (located in Port of Spain) and four battalions. There is also a Volunteer Defence Force that has been renamed the Defence Force Reserves. The regiment has two primary roles: maintaining the internal security of Trinidad and Tobago, and the assistance of local law enforcement. As one of the largest military forces in the region, the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment is also one of the main units used in
peacekeeping Peacekeeping comprises activities intended to create conditions that favour lasting peace. Research generally finds that peacekeeping reduces civilian and battlefield deaths, as well as reduces the risk of renewed warfare. Within the United N ...
and humanitarian situations from the
Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...
region, most recently in
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and ...
after Hurricane Ivan. The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment also provides the bulk of the musicians assigned to the
Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra The Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Steel Orchestra (TTDFSO) is a specialized military band that is part of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. It has its roots in British traditions for military bands, all while also uniquely using unconvent ...
, the world's only military
steel band The steelpan (also known as a pan, steel drum, and sometimes, collectively with other musicians, as a steelband or steel orchestra) is a musical instrument originating in Trinidad and Tobago. Steelpan musicians are called pannists. Descriptio ...
.


History

The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment has its origins the late 19th century, though it was directly spawned from the break-up of the
Federation of the West Indies A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...
in 1962. At that time, the two battalions of the
West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...
were split and came under the control of the main nations formed by the split. The 1st Battalion became the 1st Battalion,
Jamaica Regiment The Jamaica Regiment is the main formation of land troops in the Jamaica Defence Force. It is a non- mechanised infantry regiment consisting of five battalions, three regular infantry battalions, one territorial infantry battalion, and a Combat ...
, while the 2nd Battalion was transferred to Trinidad and Tobago to become the 1st Battalion, Trinidad and Tobago Regiment. A second battalion was raised in 1965, but was disbanded in 1972.


Major conflicts

The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment has been involved in two major conflicts. *On April 21, 1970, 750 members of the regiment mutinied, under the leadership of
Raffique Shah Raffique Shah (born 1946)Raffique Shah"Slaves to technology" ''Trinidad and Tobago News Blog'', 11 April 2018. is a Trinidad and Tobago trade union leader and political commentator. He is also a former Member of Parliament and mutineer, having led ...
and
Rex Lassalle Reginald Andrew Lassalle (born 1945), better known as Rex Lassalle, is an alternative medicine practitioner and former lieutenant in the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment who was a leader of an army mutiny in April 1970 as part of the Black Power Revolu ...
. After a five-day stand-off, the mutineers surrendered. The leadership was court-martialed and Shah, Lasalle and others were jailed (''see
Black Power Revolution Black is a color which results from the absence or complete absorption of visible light. It is an achromatic color, without hue, like white and grey. It is often used symbolically or figuratively to represent darkness. Black and white have of ...
''). *On July 27, 1990, the
Jamaat al Muslimeen The Jamaat al Muslimeen (, also transliterated as Jamaat-ul Muslimeen or Jama'at al-Muslimeen, ''"School of Muslims", "Group of Muslims", "The Muslim Group", "The Muslim Assembly", "The Muslim Society", "The Muslim Community"'') is a radical extr ...
, an islamist group with ties to Libya, attempted a '' coup d'état''. They seized control of the ''Red House'' (the seat of the Parliament of Trinidad and Tobago) and held the Prime Minister and much of his Cabinet hostage. The Regiment surrounded the insurgents and were able to force them to surrender on August 1. :''See: Jamaat al Muslimeen coup attempt''


International missions

*1983 to 1984 - Trinidad and Tobago contributed troops to the peacekeeping mission after the United States' invasion of
Grenada Grenada ( ; Grenadian Creole French: ) is an island country in the West Indies in the Caribbean Sea at the southern end of the Grenadines island chain. Grenada consists of the island of Grenada itself, two smaller islands, Carriacou and ...
( Operation Urgent Fury). The Trinidad and Tobago Government opposed the military intervention by the United States and did not participate in the invasion. However T&T deployed troops to assist in peacekeeping after the combat mission was completed. *1993 to 1996 - The Trinidad and Tobago Regiment contributed troops to the
United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...
Peacekeeping Mission in Haiti ( UNMIH) as part of a CARICOM contingent. *2004 to 2005 - After the mass destruction dealt to Grenada by Hurricane Ivan, the Regiment was sent immediately after to help assist the Grenadian government in security, aid distribution and rebuilding of the country.


Other incidents

*On 26 April 1988 - A bush fire near Camp Omega, a military compound in Chaguaramas which was used for ammunition storage and infantry training, killed two soldiers and four firefighters when the fire spread to one of the buildings housing the ammunition.


Organisation

Although it is called the Trinidad & Tobago ''Regiment'', the unit is in fact structured more like a light infantry brigade, with a pair of infantry battalions, plus engineering and logistic support units: *1st Battalion: This is a regular infantry battalion. It is located at Camp Ogden, Long Circular Road, St James. *2nd Battalion: This a regular infantry battalion. Formerly located at Camp Mausica, since then it has been relocated to the Chaguaramas Heliport and is due to be relocated to a new camp in La Romaine, Trinidad and Tobago. *3rd Battalion: This provides engineering support. It is located at Cumuto Barracks, Wallerfield. *Support and Services Battalion: This provides logistic and administrative support to the Regiment. It is located at Teteron Barracks, Teteron Bay, Chaguaramas. The Regiment maintains a base at Camp Omega, also at Chaguaramas, used primarily for specialised training.


Equipment


Infantry weapons

*
Browning Hi-Power The Browning Hi-Power is a single-action, semi-automatic pistol available in the 9×19mm Parabellum and .40 S&W calibers. It was based on a design by American firearms inventor John Browning, and completed by Dieudonné Saive at FN Herstal. B ...
* Heckler and Koch USP 9mm handgun (75x) * Heckler & Koch HK417 * Heckler & Koch HK416 * Heckler & Koch G36 *
Heckler & Koch UMP The Heckler & Koch UMP (''Universale Maschinenpistole'', German for "Universal Machine Pistol") is a submachine gun developed and manufactured by Heckler & Koch. Heckler & Koch developed the UMP as a lighter and cheaper successor to the MP5, thoug ...
* Smith & Wesson M&P (1,500x) *
Smith & Wesson Model 36 The Smith & Wesson Model 36 (also known as the Chief's Special) is a revolver chambered for .38 Special. It is one of several models of J-frame revolvers. It was introduced in 1950, and is still in production in the classic blued Model 36 and the ...
* IMI
Uzi The Uzi (; he, עוזי, Ūzi; officially cased as UZI) is a family of Israeli open-bolt, blowback-operated submachine guns and machine pistols first designed by Major Uziel "Uzi" Gal in the late 1940s, shortly after the establishment of the ...
* FN P90 * H&K
MP5 The Heckler & Koch MP5 (german: Maschinenpistole 5) is a 9x19mm Parabellum submachine gun, developed in the 1960s by a team of engineers from the German small arms manufacturer Heckler & Koch. There are over 100 variants and clones of the MP5, ...
* Sterling L2A3 (178x) *
M16 The M16 rifle (officially designated Rifle, Caliber 5.56 mm, M16) is a family of military rifles adapted from the ArmaLite AR-15 rifle for the United States military. The original M16 rifle was a 5.56×45mm automatic rifle with a 20-roun ...
(100x) * IMI Galil AR (1500x) * IWI Galil ACE * FN FAL 50.00 *
L1A1 SLR The L1A1 Self-Loading Rifle, officially "Rifle, 7.62mm, L1A1", also known just as the SLR (Self-Loading Rifle), by the Canadian Army designation C1A1 (C1) or in the US as the "inch pattern" FAL,Especially on the American surplus market. is a Br ...
*
IMI Negev The IWI Negev (also known as the Negev NG-5) is a 5.56×45mm NATO light machine gun developed by Israel Weapon Industries (IWI), formerly Israel Military Industries Ltd. (IMI). In 2012, IWI introduced the Negev NG-7 7.62×51mm NATO general-p ...
*
IMI Tavor TAR-21 The IWI Tavor TAR-21 is an Israeli bullpup assault rifle chambered in 5.56×45mm NATO caliber with a selective fire system, selecting between semi-automatic mode and full automatic fire mode. The Tavor is designed and produced by Israel Weap ...
*/
FN MAG The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale (FN) by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries and it has been made under licence in several countries, in ...
60.20/L7A1 *
Bren The Bren gun was a series of light machine guns (LMG) made by Britain in the 1930s and used in various roles until 1992. While best known for its role as the British and Commonwealth forces' primary infantry LMG in World War II, it was also use ...
* Saco
M60 machine gun The M60, officially the Machine Gun, Caliber 7.62 mm, M60, is a family of American general-purpose machine guns firing 7.62×51mm NATO cartridges from a disintegrating belt of M13 links. There are several types of ammunition approved for ...
* Browning M2HB * IMI B-300 82mm anti-tank rocket launchers (13x) * Carl Gustav M2 84mm recoilless rifles (24x) * L16A1 81mm medium mortar (6x) *
Brandt 60 mm LR Gun-mortar The Brandt 60 mm Long Range gun-mortar is a breech loading mortar capable of firing on a flat trajectory. It was developed from the Brandt Mle CM60A1 and resembles a long-barrelled, long-ranged variant of that weapon. Description The Brandt ...
* Land Rover Defender * Land Rover Defender with Armoured-Kit * M35A1 trucks


Navy

*Patrol craft (6x) *Fast Patrol boats (3x) *Interceptor boats (6x)


Aircraft


Fixed wing aircraft

*
Fairchild C-26 Metroliner The Fairchild C-26 "Metroliner" is the designation for the Fairchild Swearingen Metroliner series twin turboprop aircraft in the service of the United States military. It was not officially named by the US Armed Forces, but is unofficially known ...
(2x)


=Helicopters

= *
AgustaWestland AW139 The AgustaWestland AW139 is a medium-lift twin-engined helicopter developed and produced by the Anglo-Italian helicopter manufacturer AgustaWestland, later wholly owned by Leonardo S.p.A. It is marketed at several different roles, including V ...
(4x) * Sikorsky S-76A Spirit (4x) * MBB Bo 105CBS (4x) *
Eurocopter AS355 Airbus Helicopters SAS (formerly Eurocopter Group) is the helicopter manufacturing division of Airbus. It is the largest in the industry in terms of revenues and turbine helicopter deliveries. Its head office is located at Marseille Provence A ...
(1x)


Ranks

The ranks employed by the Trinidad and Tobago Regiment: ;Officers ;Enlisted


References


Bibliography


'We have always had an army'Soldiers sent packing from their base


Notes


External links



- Official Website {{Authority control Military of Trinidad and Tobago Regiments of Caribbean nations