PM: Farley didn't have to be told beforehand'

PRIME Minister Kamla Persad-Bissessar says Chief Secretary Farley Augustine is not a member of the National Security Council (NSC), and as such, was not informed beforehand about the arrival and installation of a temporary US military radar system on the island.

Speaking with Newsday via WhatsApp on November 28, Persad-Bissessar said this radar system is intended for real-time monitoring and surveillance of Trinidad and Tobago's air and sea space.

Her comments came after a November 28 statement by Augustine in which he reiterated Tobago's neutrality in the ongoing US/Venezuela tensions.

A media release from the Office of the Chief Secretary said Augustine had “requested full details on what is to be installed in Tobago” during a phone call with the prime minister on Wednesday night, and plans to have “formal meetings” with Cabinet ministers involved “regarding the purpose and scope of the radar being installed.”

In her WhatsApp message to Newsday, Persad-Bissessar said, “When we entered government, we found an existing radar system that was functioning sporadically and inefficiently and did not provide cover for our entire territory. Our Coast Guard could not even access data in real time, in addition to the system being compromised,” she said.

The Prime Minister said she requested assistance from the US embassy to supply a radar system on a temporary basis until government can acquire a permanent replacement of the existing unit.

“The radar will remain until we can install a new, permanent upgraded system of our own. The US personnel in Tobago are constructing an access road and an area for the radar installation. The marines who left were members of the MEU (Marine Expedition Unit) who were doing joint training with the TTDF.”

Persad-Bissessar stressed the radar is solely for monitoring and securing TT’s territory.

“The radar is not for use in any action in Venezuela,” she said, adding that approximately 100 US personnel are currently in Tobago, though the number fluctuates as needed, “since this is a sensitive national security issue which provides for the protection of our territory and citizens.”

The Prime Minister said she did not believe it was wise – when speaking with reporters on November 26, outside the Red House – to publicly announce to “narco and human traffickers, as well as other criminals, that we were installing a radar.”

“It would have been counterproductive to citizens’ safety. But since Guardian Media has already exposed this sensitive national security upgrade, to local and transnational criminals, there is no reason anymore not to confirm. The security advantage has been lost,” she told Newsday.