On March 31st, 1980, an act of Parliament was tabled by Prime Minister the Rt. Hon. Lynden Pindling, laying the framework for a Defence Force that will patrol and defend the territorial integrity of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas. Thus the Royal Bahamas Defence Force became an official entity. The mandates of the organization include, but are not limited to: Providing assistance in times of disaster; maintaining order in conjunction with the law enforcement agencies of The Bahamas; assisting with search and rescue; and maintaining navigational aids. In its short history, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has seen eight Commanders Defence Force, who have all played integral roles in moving the organization through formation, capacity building, pioneering, infrastructural upgrade and expansion, reconditioning refocusing, welfare and organizational development, and operational transformation to high level of efficiencies and responsiveness and a vibrant multi-missioned force that stands shoulder to shoulder with its international counterparts. In more recent times, after the passage of the destructive Hurricane Dorian in 2019, RBDF personnel were deployed to Abaco and Grand Bahama to assist in the aftermath, and later in the security and recovery efforts on those islands. Additionally, during the current global pandemic, the organization’s duties have also included, curfew enforcement, National COVID taskings, security operations, sentry detail at the National Vaccine Laboratory, law enforcement/civil authority support, and border protection. Forty-one years later, with Commodore Dr. Raymond King at the helm, the organization is steady on the pursuit of excellence, focused on organizational decentralization, agility, transformation, and sustainment. The Officers and Marines continue to guard and protect over 7,000 square feet of territorial waters, exclusive economic zones, archipelagic baselines, and a purported 2,222 islands, cays, and rocks. The organization salutes the men and women who have helped establish the mainframe for a successful entity, and congratulates those who continue to perform their duties in “The Pursuit of Excellence in Guarding our Heritage”.
