- 4 months ago
Joining us now to provide expert analysis on these escalating security tensions is regional security expert and former Director of the National Operations Centre, Dr. Garvin Heerah.
Category
🗞
NewsTranscript
00:00connect with us on facebook at ccn tv6 trinidad and tobago on x using the handle at tv6 tnt on
00:13instagram hashtag tv6 tnt and via our website www.tv6tnt.com welcome back to the tv6 news
00:24joining us now to provide expert analysis on these escalating security tensions
00:29is regional security expert and former director of the national operations center
00:34dr gavin hero dr hero good evening thank you for joining us
00:38good evening good evening to all streaming and viewing public good evening trinidad and tobago
00:43and the region dr hero how seriously should trinidad and tobago take president nicholas maduro's comments
00:49framing prime minister kamla passad possesses remarks as a declaration of war well we have to take that
00:56very seriously being the the head of state for venezuela um he has now escalated uh the the
01:03political temperature and um by all means trinidad and tobago have to take this um very seriously
01:10indeed as a matter of fact we should be with immediate effect um contouring such utterances
01:16with you know establishing our joint intelligence architecture with our foreign counterparts and of
01:22course locally and regionally to ensure that we are oppressed and kept up to date with the
01:26intelligence gathering as to what might be emanating out of venezuela based on the head of state's
01:31utterances um such statements can be a trigger for um what we will call retaliatory or escalatory actions
01:42so from a security standpoint what would be the immediate implications for our country if venezuela views
01:48our territory as a potential launch point for us operations yeah well they are already starting to
01:55speak in that it along that line and what it does is that it now positions us as a neutral neighbor into
02:02what is known as a target because as far as they would be concerned um an attack will probably be
02:08launched or can be launched from trinidad and tobago now we are not trying to um exaggerate or cause um
02:14havoc or crisis or brings care um into the population but we have to pay attention to the temperature and
02:21the escalation that is taking place with all of these aggression and what the you know the tone
02:26that is coming out of venezuela so um if we are to be viewed as a launch pad if we have to be viewed as
02:31a staging area we are now moving from a neutral partner into be viewed as a target because trinidad
02:37and tobago would have been used as a staging area to um strike um towards venezuela or strike and
02:43attack towards venezuela and when that happens it now increases the risk not only for citizens not
02:49only for trinidad and tobago but for our infrastructure and our installations well their defense minister
02:55vladimir padrino lopez warned that any attack launched from trinidad and tobago's territory would
03:01receive a response what is that kind of language signal in military and strategic teams when a defense
03:09minister um speaks like that he is identifying uh policy and intent he's identifying the fact that
03:15um this is going to be followed up by actions and um we have to pay attention to that we have to be
03:21at this time you know proactively planning there has to be a number of uh strategic sort of discussions
03:27being held diplomatically and we also have to ensure that we are ready should this move to the next level
03:34one thing i would like to add however the risk factor is already there because we are aware that
03:41we are facing an influx an increased influx of uh venezuelan migrants in trinidad and tobago who is to
03:48say that um who is in country at this time is also within the capability of having some sort of proxy attack
03:56on trinidad and tobago or our key installations or what we would know that's as key infrastructure so
04:02those are some things that we should be looking at and looking at um with an intensified effort
04:07by our homeland security and our defense and of course the intelligence um systems in trinidad
04:13and tobago and as i said before um the the international support of our counterparts because
04:18we may be looking out towards the horizon with regard to we may be facing an attack because we're
04:23being viewed and statements are being made but who is to say that that attack is not already planned
04:28and can happen from in country well given our geographic proximity and as you just pointed out
04:34existing security issues how prepared is trinidad and tobago to manage or deter any spillover from
04:41these rising tensions between venezuela and the united states in the region yeah we are we are
04:48it's not to sound negative but we are unprepared we are under resourced and we are vulnerable
04:54and because of that therefore we should be um surging towards homeland security practices and protocols
05:02with regard to um our infrastructure out there or maritime patrols or within in country we don't have
05:09to do that we have to step up now on our posture to ensure that we are um basically um providing the
05:15type of security that is necessary for in country but as to face a situation like that we are not really
05:20prepared and that is why we have to be in close um collaboration with um our international counterparts
05:27so that there is some sort of support should trinidad now be identified as a target and venezuela
05:32decides to increase the aggression towards us but it is not an excuse at this point we need to escalate
05:37our our vigilance and uh apply our homeland protocols with regard to patrols especially our maritime
05:43patrols and our border control management well you've touched on some of what i'm about to ask in your
05:48last statement but what would you advise the government to do right now diplomatically and operationally
05:54to reduce this risk and the escalation and to reassure the public i don't think we need to sit idly
06:00by i don't think we need to stay so this is going to blow away in seven days this is not this is a global
06:06issue because the entire um international system is now focused in our region focused in trinidad and tobago
06:12focus on what is coming out of venezuela out of washington and there is an attention um for this and
06:17with that attention i think we have a good opportunity at this time to ensure diplomatically
06:23that we have discrete diplomacy conversations with venezuela and with the us so as the de-escalator
06:28to pacify this we will play an integral role if we can bring that to a neutral table not in trinidad
06:35not in venezuela somewhere else where we could have that sort of de-escalation conversation from a
06:40diplomatically um architected first purpose we it's structured in such a way with diplomacy to de-escalate
06:47and to pacify the other thing that i said that we need to do and i advised earlier much earlier
06:53before we had the the volume um increasing in the threat issue was that we need to set up here in
06:59country in national threat assessment task force with um a multi-agency task force one that can be
07:06gathering the information and one that can be calculating the risk and the threats as they come
07:10on a daily basis now and in that way being able to provide the information gathering especially to
07:17the media houses from an authenticated source so that we would not fall prey to conspiracy and to
07:22the sensationalism and of course some of the issues that are happening there in social media and other
07:27so-called um what i'll call news channels or media channels we need to ensure that a threat assessment task
07:34force is set up a national threat assessment task force multi-agency staff as i said and begin
07:39immediately to review these threats and to advise on critical decision making so that we are in
07:45position for whatever is to come be it an escalation or de-escalation but that should be the central hub
07:51uh with regard to the threats that are now coming more numerous and and with more intent well thank
07:56you very much dr gavin hero for joining us this evening and sharing your expertise with us thank you
Be the first to comment