CASTRIES, St. Lucia, CMC - St. Lucia will host representatives from 16 partner nations and the United States for the multinational exercise Tradewinds 2013, from May 20 until May 31, 2013. U.S. Marine Corps Forces South, the executive agent of Tradewinds 2013 for U.S. Southern Command, will conduct the maritime training exercise in collaboration with the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and other facilitating agencies. Tradewinds 2013 focuses on increasing regional cooperation in the effort to counter illicit trafficking and build participating nations’ capacity to plan and execute complex multinational security operations. The training also provides an emphasis on reinforcing human rights awareness in the conduct of security operations.