GEORGETOWN, Guyana – From left, Brig. Gen. Patrick West, Guyana Chief of Defence Staff, Guyana Prime Minister Moses Nagamootoo, and U.S. Navy Adm. Kurt Tidd, commander of U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM), accompany each other to the opening ceremony for the 2017 Caribbean Nations Security Conference (CANSEC) Dec. 6 in Georgetown, Guyana. CANSEC is an annual SOUTHCOM-sponsored regional security forum for dialogue among chiefs of defense and public security ministers aimed at examining threats to Caribbean stability and improving regional security cooperation. This year, Guyana became the first South American nation to host CANSEC. (photo by Jose Ruiz)