Major Comrie said plans are well underway with more than one month to spare. "Preparation is going good and we conclude the final planning conference about a week ago so we well on track," he said. Comrie also outlined the expected benefits of the Tradewinds Exercise to the Federation. "So we are hoping at the end of Tradewinds, St. Kitts will be in a better position to protect its borders and also give us that ability to deal with any threats of maritime security or safety," he said. Exercise Tradewinds 2015 is a United States Southern Command-sponsored training exercise held annually in the Caribbean. The exercise is conducted in two main phases; Phase One, which is maritime focused, will be conducted on St Kitts; and Phase Two, which is land operations oriented, will be held in Belize from 14 – 24 June 2015.