Winner of presidency expected to pick next army Chief of Staff

Patrick West

As current Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Patrick West prepares for leave ahead of his retirement next March, the choice for his replacement will be chosen by the elected president of the March 2nd general and regional elections who will also be Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces.

West, 54, will turn 55 on the 5th of March, 2021 and will retire from office after serving for four years.

While it is the President and Commander-in-Chief’s sole duty of selecting whom he wishes to serve in the capacity of Chief of Staff, it is expected that most senior officer will be chosen but the choice over the years has been shaped by the leaders on various criteria.