Caribbean Security Futures Symposium · October 2026

Security as Diplomacy

Owning Our Own Capacity in the Caribbean

Prepared forH.E. CoP (Ret’d) Ian M. Queeley, CSM
Ambassador & Head of Mission · Embassies of Eastern Caribbean States to the Kingdom of MoroccoRear Admiral Errington R Shurland
Executive Director · Regional Security System Headquarters

Felicia Ellis · Chief of Staff and AI Officer
Presenting partner: Public Safety AI

12 slides

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

01 / The regional context

The view from above

Shipping lanes

Global oil strategy moves tankers through the Caribbean Sea. More ships mean more chances for accidents and more attention from powerful nations.

Undersea cables

Our internet runs along the ocean floor. A dragging anchor, a fishing net, or a deliberate act can cut a cable—and an island’s connection to essential services.

Space infrastructure

Satellites offer backup internet and communications. That is good. It also raises a question every nation must answer: who controls the backup?

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

02 / What sovereignty means

Sovereignty is not isolation.

We decide how our data is handled. We train the people who run it. We own some of the capacity.

No island can build every cable, satellite, and data center alone.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

02 / The Frontier AI Accord

Who sets the rules?

Monitor models

Monitor models during training and deployment, including for cybersecurity, biosecurity, and chemical threats.

Internal controls team

Keep an internal team to make sure those controls work.

Independent auditor

Hire an independent outside auditor to check them.

Board oversight

Give a board committee oversight of the reports.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

03 / Our recommendation

Build talent now. Own capacity next.

Talent first

Train regional engineers and policy staff. Start with a talent-first pilot; propose a women-focused cohort.

Shared access

Pool compute and connectivity. Negotiate group terms for data, local jobs, and crisis service.

Owned capacity

Co-own a ground station, secure data center, or small satellite program with allied partners.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

Caribbean Compute Pilot / Overview

The compute pilot.

Build the people now. Secure the compute next.

The motion

Start with 25 cybersecurity and law enforcement professionals, then grow to 50, 75, and 100. Each step is a cohort. Start quickly.

Why now

Give ambassadors, diplomats, and the university a concrete team to point to while they negotiate for compute power.

Five tracks

SOC Analyst, Forensic Investigator, Threat Hunter, Human Trafficking Investigator, Policy Analyst. About five people per track in each cohort.

The path

Data analysis foundation → Security as Diplomacy certification → a technical track → a shared case exercise.

Where the compute lives

A university and training ground for teaching, research, and regional security work. University of the West Indies (UWI): prospective co-host only.

Proposal only. Compute terms, funding, and governance are open for regional decision.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

04 / Space is security infrastructure

Who can switch off our backup?

Continuity

Satellite connectivity can keep essential services online when seabed infrastructure fails.

Control

Commercial service can be enabled or disabled by its operator. Dependency is a security question.

Regional leverage

Negotiate shared terms for data protection, local jobs, and service during a crisis.

Country programs and dated claims are documented in the report; they require a current source check before external publication.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

05 / A proposed regional capability

A world lab, owned by the region.

Cable outage

Simulate the outage, test backup routes, and train technicians and officials to respond.

Hurricane response

Model flooded roads, damaged ports, and shelter logistics before the storm arrives.

Port security

Train port staff, customs officers, and police in realistic scenes.

Proposal only. No compute partners are committed and no finished lab exists.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

06 / Security only, by design

Guardrails belong in the foundation.

Security use only

Training, planning, and response—not general-purpose deployment.

No citizen surveillance

The lab does not track or profile people.

Data stays in the region

Sensitive information is stored under regional law.

Human oversight

A trained person reviews every high-stakes output.

Allied buyers only

Access goes to partner governments that share these rules.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

07 / The partner pathway

Conversations, not commitments.

Regional leadership

RSS and CARICOM IMPACS: sponsor the talent pilot and identify a regional owner.

Talent & use cases

UWI and Caribbean police commissioners: co-design the curriculum and training scenarios.

Allied capacity

Governments, institutions, and providers: explore shared sites, funding, and group access.

All listed organizations are prospective partners. None is presented as a confirmed commitment.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

08 / The implementation horizon

From the high view to the next steps.

Next 30 days

Review with Ambassador Queeley. Confirm a regional sponsor. Identify three potential partners.

Next 90 days

Draft the cohort curriculum and group-access terms. Test one cable-outage scenario.

Next 12 months

Establish a shared training site. Publish guardrails. Decide the ownership structure.

PUBLIC SAFETY AI / SECURITY AS DIPLOMACYBARBADOS · OCTOBER 2026

09 / The symposium ask

Let us build it on our terms.

Attention

Keep undersea cables and satellite backup on the regional security agenda.

Partnership

Name the partners who will help build shared talent and capacity.

Ownership

Agree that any regional capability belongs to the region.

Security is not only about what we defend against. It is about what we build together.