On March 6, the U.S. Embassy in partnership with co-chair Atlantis relaunched The Bahamas Chapter of the Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC). This free public-private partnership is open to all. U.S. incorporated organizations may apply for full membership. All
others can benefit from a limited access membership.
OSAC provides its members from across a range of sectors: tourism, education, business, religion – with the security intelligence and professional network needed to manage risks and cope with any emerging security threats. The Bahamas Chapter was dormant for nearly three years due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
“I am joyful that OSAC is finally coming back together, and you have rebooted this mechanism so there will be lines of communication to improve the overall security situation in The Bahamas,” U.S. Chargé d’Affaires Usha Pitts noted.
Jason Crosby, U.S. Embassy’s Regional Security Officer, serves as one of OSAC’s co-chairs with Atlantis’ Executive Director Stephen Sweeting. In this capacity, Jason ensures OSAC receives support from the U.S. Embassy.
“What is great about OSAC is that it is not just the U.S. Embassy feeding information to our non-governmental or private sector partners. That’s not what OSAC is about. OSAC is a multifaceted organization where we call upon experts from across the security spectrum [like
our Bahamian partners]. For instance, we have Stephen Sweeting here today who has agreed to be our OSAC Bahamian Chapter co-chair. If he sees fraud trends or crime trends that can help the group, his input helps address overall security threats.”
Sweeting praised the chapter for providing rare opportunities to meet like-minded individuals from different disciplines. “We had some really interesting speakers that came down, and we did some unique training and had some good learning opportunities. The chapter has provided
us with a number of unique experiences that without it, well, I don’t know where we would have gotten it.”
Douglas Hanna Sr., Atlantis Vice President of Security and Surveillance, highlighted the significance of information-sharing through OSAC. “With thousands of tourists vacationing at Atlantis each year, we welcome any partnerships. If there is a threat that affects Americans
in the U.S., we get the information almost as quickly as the American agencies get it, [with partnerships like OSAC] and then we can prepare and we can be ready for any threats.”
Source: U.S Embassy Public Affairs Section
More photo highlights below:
remarks at the relaunch of the OSAC Bahamas Chapter.
Bahamas Chapter at the Atlantis Resort.
