Trinidad and Tobago suspends military youth program for restructuring

The Military-Led Academic Training Programme (MiLAT) in Trinidad and Tobago has been suspended, not shut down, as the government undertakes a significant restructuring, confirmed Defence Minister Wayne Sturge. Reports had surfaced of teachers and civilian staff being sent home, raising questions about the program's future and its nearly 100 junior trainees.

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The programme has not been closed down but temporarily suspended pending ongoing structural reform. It was necessary to suspend at this time having regard to severe financial constraints coupled with the fact that it was not economically viable in its present form.

Minister Sturge clarified that operations were paused due to "severe financial constraints coupled with the fact that it was not economically viable in its present form." He emphasized that the decision was made only after the current Form Five cohort completed their Caribbean Secondary Education Certificate examinations. The Ministry of Defence is now collaborating with the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force Reserves and the Ministry of Tertiary Education to redesign the program.

Sturge also defended the suspension on economic grounds, stating that the program's operating costs were excessively high. "I am advised that it is far cheaper to educate a student at university than it is at MiLAT," he said. MiLAT, established to provide military-style discipline, academic instruction, and life skills training, particularly for at-risk youth, has been cited as a crime prevention initiative.

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I am advised that it is far cheaper to educate a student at university than it is at MiLAT.

However, Sturge rejected claims that the suspension would increase crime, arguing that crime rates remained high even when similar programs were active under the previous administration. He did not directly address the employment status of teachers and civilian staff or provide a timeline for the restructured program's resumption, only stating the government aims to complete the exercise "in the shortest possible time."

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I am firmly of the view that temporarily suspending the programme will have little to no effect on crime and criminality, given that the last administration had these programmes yet crime skyrocketed to record levels previously unseen. I don’t buy that narrative which has become a trademark of the Opposition.