The Office of Defense Cooperation (ODC) Bahamas supports and assists the Government of the Commonwealth of the Bahamas’ (GCOB) Ministries of National Security, Foreign Affairs, Public Works and Transport, Health and Education, the Department of Civil Aviation, the Freeport and Nassau Port Authorities, and the Royal Bahamas Defense and Police Forces regarding military, security, and civil/disaster relief matters.
The mission of the ODC is to execute the U.S. Northern Command (USNORTHCOM) theater engagement plan by providing the GCOB with a wide range of U.S. training and assistance programs.
The Senior Defense Official/Defense Attaché (SDO/DATT) at the U.S. Embassy Nassau also serves as the ODC Chief and is the Senior U.S. Department of Defense Representative to The Bahamas. The SDO/DATT oversees all official interactions between the GCOB and the U.S. government concerning the U.S. Navy Atlantic Undersea Test & Evaluation Center (AUTEC) located on Andros Island. Additionally, the SDO/DATT is the principal military advisor to the Ambassador regarding all military issues and represents the Secretary of Defense and the Commander, USNORTHCOM in military matters within the Mission.
The ODC workload is divided among several mission areas with the bulk of the effort directed towards Security Cooperation Organization (SCO) projects to include: International Military Education and Training (IMET) funded by the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA), Traditional Commander’s Activities (TCA) funded by USNORTHCOM, Foreign Military Sales (FMS) and Foreign Military Financing (FMF) programs, Humanitarian Assistance Programs/Interagency Coordination (HAP/IC) projects, Joint Combined Exercises and Training (JCET) by U.S. Special Forces, Joint Chief of Staff (JCS) Exercises, and USNORTHCOM-sponsored training activities and conferences (theater engagement). The remaining workload is divided between military ship, aircraft, and personnel diplomatic clearances; U.S. Navy ship port visit coordination; Embassy official/protocol functions; AUTEC issues; disaster relief preparations; escort duties for Bahamian officials traveling throughout the Caribbean, Latin America, and the United States; and coordination with various Law Enforcement agencies within the Embassy.
The ODC Bahamas office can be reached directly at (242) 322-1181 ext. 4217 or 4216.