It is the mission of the Royal Bahamas Defence Force to become a self sufficient and multi-missioned maritime organization with the operational capability to respond to threats to national security, as well as perform humanitarian tasks inclusive of maritime search and rescue, disaster relief assistance and peacekeeping in conjunction with regional partners

Officially established on the 31st March 1980 with the passing of the Defence Act, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force (RBDF) was initially conceived in 1976 from the Marine division of the Royal Bahamas Police Force, many of whose officers converted to the force when their unit was disbanded in 1979.

Coral Harbour, an ex-hotel and marina facility which ceased operations in 1972, and located on the southwestern tip of New Providence, serves as home base for the force, which comes under the portfolio of the minister responsible for National Security, who is currently The Honourable O. A. 'Tommy' Turnquest. The 46-acre site now known as Her Majesty's Bahamian Ship (HMBS) Coral Harbour is also the site of the RBDF Headquarters. Since then, the Royal Bahamas Defence Force has grown into a vibrant multi-missioned force.