In a response to a serious security breach at a Belize Defense Force (BDF) explosive disposal exercise, the Belizean government has announced urgent measures to secure permanent, exclusive control over military training lands at the Baldy Beacon site. The incident, which unfolded in late May 2026, has exposed critical gaps in perimeter security for military training areas and reignited debate over public access to Defense Force operating zones.
The controversy began when former government minister Elvin Penner entered the unfenced exercise zone and removed explosive ordnance that the BDF was in the process of destroying. Defense officials have labeled Penner’s actions as extremely dangerous, noting that the incident put multiple lives at risk and already contributed to one fatal outcome tied to the unsecured explosives. Despite official claims that multiple advance warnings were issued and on-site security personnel were deployed during the live disposal exercise, on-the-ground footage confirms that the large training site, spanning multiple miles across rolling hills and accessible via unmarked minor roads, has no permanent perimeter fencing. This lack of physical barriers makes unrestricted public access surprisingly easy for anyone choosing to enter the area.
Speaking on the government’s new security push, Minister of National Defence Florencio Marin Jr. emphasized that the BDF’s ongoing explosive destruction work is a necessary public safety operation that should not face avoidable interference. “The military were simply conducting what I don’t think anyone would complain about destroying these explosives. You saw how we lost a life sadly because of it. This is part of the overall effort to destroy them. I’m not sure how anyone ordinary might actually go around there and try to interfere with that work,” Marin said.
Brigadier General Anthony Velasquez, Commandant of the BDF, explained that the large size of the Baldy Beacon training area has long prevented permanent fencing, even as the military follows standard protocol to alert the public of active exercises. “It’s a huge area. It’s several kilometers, miles wide, so there’s no fence around the area at all. There’s access by some minor roads and by other crossing hills and valleys. So it’s not an area that is fenced off anything like that, right? So people can access the area. However, during exercises we put up warning flags and we deliver a NOTAM so that people know that we’re conducting exercise in the area. And also during the exercise we have sentries out, so there’s no reason why Mr. Penner didn’t know that we were there conducting these exercises,” Velasquez stated.
Moving forward, the BDF has begun the formal process of acquiring permanent tenure for the training lands to eliminate future access disputes. Marin noted that permanent secured control will insulate the military from arbitrary access changes that can come with shifting governmental leadership, ensuring the force always has a dedicated space for critical drills, training, and live fire exercises when required. “The BDF now is in the process of acquiring land so that they can, in the future, don’t have to deal with this issue of whichever government come in or whichever ministers come in they cannot arbitrarily get access to their lands, right? The military needs its training grounds. We have to continue operating. So we are working on that, securing some operating area that they can conduct their drills and training and where necessary, live firing appropriately,” Marin added.
Following the incident, the recovered explosive materials have been turned over to Belizean police as evidence for the upcoming trespassing and unlawful theft case against Penner. This article is a transcript of an evening television newscast, with all Kriol language renderings converted to a standardized spelling system for publication.