Stating that the country has no interest in seeking confrontation or conflict, President Irfaan Ali yesterday said that the Government plans to transform the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) into an intelligence- and technology-driven institution to safeguard the nation’s resources and protect against threats and challenges that may arise.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces noted that this year a sum of $17.6 billion has been allocated for the GDF to strengthen its state of readiness.
“Guyana has no interest in seeking confrontation or conflict. We desire peace and we are pursuing peace including through the cultivation of relations with our neighbours and with other countries and their militaries….We will continue to strengthen the force’s capability in the years ahead. We are looking at a smarter force with greater utilisation of technology and intelligence,” Ali said.
He was at the time delivering the feature remarks at the opening ceremony of the GDF’s Annual Officer’s conference which was held at the National Cultural Centre under the theme ‘Enhancing national security and development through capacity building, empowering troops and strengthening community relations’.
During the two-day event, officers from various units and departments will come together to set the force’s agenda for the year in keeping with the directions of the Commander-in-Chief.
Ali said that while the foundation for sustained prosperity is being laid with the country’s economic and social transformation, the issue of national security has to be taken more seriously. “We cannot afford to become complacent. We must seize the moment so as to ensure a secure future of present and future generations,” Ali said.
To enhance the force’s capability and capacity, Ali added that over the years there will be increased emphasis on human resources, training and welfare of officers as well as acquisition of more vehicles, equipment and machinery.
“We have restored the one-month tax-free bonus to the Joint Services, a benefit which was heartlessly taken away from you. I have also committed to greater training opportunities and the launching of a special housing programme that has already started,” Ali said while pledging, “we will continue to emphasise training. Officers will continue to benefit from training at both local and foreign academies and universities”.
During last year, 62 percent of the ranks benefited from military and capacity-building training with local and international academies. A number of them were also either allocated house lots or houses.
Strategies
The Commander-in-Chief challenged ranks of the GDF to develop strategic approaches to deal with challenges resulting from issues such as natural disasters, climate change and food security.
“I know in this room and in this force, we have some of the finest talent to do the work I am speaking about…To do that we have to understand what is happening regionally. We have to have our own thinking process and think tank as to what are the threats we see regionally,” he said.
“What is our role in terms of food security? What are the threats that the region faces in relation to food security and how do we build that in defence strategy? Dealing with natural disasters. What are the potential threats for Guyana in terms of natural disaster. We have to start doing scenario modeling,”Ali asserted.
Likewise, Ali said strategies must be developed in the oil and gas emergency response. “..There will be a gas pipeline that is coming into Guyana…..It can become an instrument of threat to destabilize regions and countries. So we have to have our own strategies dealing with the protection of these assets. How do you respond if there is an unforeseen challenge out there? We can’t wait in the unlikely event that something happens and then we are hustling for a response. We have to have a strategic approach to all of these things now,” he stated.
He asked the force to produce an outcome document defining its roles and responsibilities towards building ‘One Guyana’. In the document, Ali said the ranks must identify the tools, resources and strategies required for the realisation of ‘One Guyana’.
At the same time, he said gaps must be identified and be prioritized before the implementation of the ‘One Guyana’ agenda.
According to Ali the GDF is integral in the development of a national disaster response plan. “The force is being prepared for great involvement in search and rescue missions, disaster response, protection of border communities, medical outreaches and in medical emergencies and sharpening the talent of our sports men and women,” he said.
Threats
Ali said that any threat to not only Guyana’s security but to the “peaceful” existence of this region is being monitored closely.
“We will support every effort to ensure that this region remains a region of peace. We will partner with every single strategic partner that we have to ensure that this region remains peaceful and to ensure that our territorial integrity and security remains intact,” he assured.
While diplomacy remains the first line of defence, Chief of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess said the GDF must enhance its national security profile to confront threats whether domestic or foreign. “…..There is always an ever-present danger of Russia deploying troops to Venezuela and Guyana being caught in the diplomatic conundrum as it pursues critical bilateral relations with the US and China,” he stated.
Bess highlighted that significant challenges with the new and emerging transnational threats include organized crime, a “booming” narcotics trafficking industry and associated activities such as illegal airstrips, trafficking in persons (TIP), continuous illegal crossings at the country’s borders and migration issues.
He underlined the influx of Venezuelans over time who he said are settling in various regions in the country on a continuous basis. “Their presence seems to have become normalized as they appear to live and operate, within almost every facet of life and geographical district of this nation,” the Chief of Staff said.
According to Bess, these activities, individually or combined, present threats to the welfare of Guyana’s communities and people. As such, he said the GDF must ensure that it has the capacity and capability to combat such a diverse range of security threats.
He assured that the force will continue to monitor the nation’s air, land and water territories.
Among those in attendance were former Chief of Staff, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Commissioner of Police (ag) Nigel Hoppie, Fire Chief (ag) Gregory Wickham and Director of Prisons (ag) Nicklon Elliot.
The event was slated to commence at 9 am and the media were asked to be seated by 8.45 am. After arriving at the location on time, Stabroek News was informed that the media would be accommodated in the upper level since they would have to depart after the opening ceremony.
Upon venturing to the upper flat, there was no accommodation in place neither was anyone present to provide guidance. Members of the media then spoke to a member of the GDF PR department and were later accommodated in the lower flat with the ranks.
The event started shortly after 10 am without any excuse or apology being provided for the delay.
