On 29 October, four members of the Organisation of Eastern Caribbean States (Antigua and Barbuda, Dominica, Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines) signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with Barbados to provide for "mutual assistance on request".

[2] Saint Kitts and Nevis joined following independence in 1983, and Grenada followed two years later after Operation Urgent Fury, a combined US and RSS invasion of the country.

The MOU was updated in 1992 and the system acquired juridical status on 5 March 1996 under the Treaty which was signed at St. Georges, Grenada.

The RSS initially started as a US instrument to combat the spread of communism in the Caribbean region.

"[7] Subsequently, Canada also pledged collaboration with the RSS bloc[8][9] to combat a threat of Central American criminal gangs from expanding into the English-speaking Caribbean region.