Our Mandate

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Strategic Vision

To become a model of excellence in guarding our heritage.

Our strategic mission is to defend the sovereignty of The Commonwealth of The Bahamas, assist with maintaining law and order and perform humanitarian tasks in conjunction with local and international partners.

Our Core Values

Fair-Play

We will remain just and honourable in our actions and attitudes towards each other.

Accountability

We will hold ourselves fully accountable to our superiors and to those whom we serve in fulfilling our lawful duties to the best of our abilities.

Integrity

We will remain consistent in our values, principles and actions in doing what is right for the sustainable development and long term success of the Defence Force.

Transparency

We will provide full information required for collaboration, cooperation, and collective decision without entertaining hidden or self-seeking agendas.

Honesty

We will remain respectfully open and straightforward in our conduct with each other.

Fortitude

We will possess the strength and firmness of mind to face danger or despondency with enduring resolve as we fulfill our mandate without compromise

Unity

We will endeavour to be one in spirit, harmonious in thought and united in action in fulfilling our goals and objectives.

Leadership

We will inspire those under our charge to solve problems and accomplish given tasks at the highest of standards through our personal example in character and dedicated service.

Loyalty

We will remain ‘faithful’ in upholding the tenets of the preamble and the Constitution of the Commonwealth of The Bahamas as we safeguard our territorial sovereignty.

Our Core Values

POWERS

The Defence Force is primarily an armed service, whose roles also encompass some aspects of a coast guard as well as a disaster relief agency. These roles require Defence Force personnel to assume the duties of:

Naval and infantry personnel
Police Officers (Peace Officer)
Customs Officers
Immigration Officers
Fisheries Inspectors
Emergency rescue personnel
Search and rescue
Sentry
Detention Center security
Maintenance of Navigational Aids

The Bahama Islands lie in the midst of the hurricane belt surrounded by tropical waters rich in fisheries resources. These islands extend from approximately 50 miles east of the southern Florida coast in the north to some 90 miles off of the island of Hispaniola (The Dominican Republic and Republic of Haiti) in the south. In addition to being a conduit for people seeking economic refuge in the United States, The Bahamas is a transit country for drug traffickers originating from South America and/or the Caribbean.

As a result of The Bahamas’ geographical outlay, the Defence Force must address the following threats to The Bahamas’ national security:

Poaching of fisheries resources Small arms smuggling
Drug smugglingMigrant smuggling
Terrorist- related activities
Hurricanes

Major Challenges

The Defence Force has responsibility for patrolling some 100,000 square miles of territorial waters that consist of more than 1,000 islands, rocks and cays sprawled over a distance of some 600 miles. Our territorial boundaries cover a distance roughly equivalent to the distance between Puerto Rico in the northern Caribbean Chain to the Republic of Trinidad and Tobago in the south. When added together, the combined distance of The Bahamas’ coastline is approximately 2,200 miles, second only to that of the Republic of Cuba, creating a porous border that is difficult to monitor. Stratergy Our strategy is to decentralize Defence Force operations through the establishment of bases in the north, south and central Bahamas equipped with patrol boats and aircraft to maximize the use of minimal resources in patrolling the territorial boundaries of our islands. Additionally, it is intended to work more closely with local law enforcement agencies and regional partners as a force multiplier for addressing current challenges.