Outgoing Chief of Staff Brigadier Godfrey Bess is confident in the competence of his successor Brigadier Omar Khan to run the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
“Well, Brigadier Khan has been in the GDF for 31 years. I have known him, we have worked together. He is very intelligent. He is a competent officer. He is very strategic and I’m sure that he will lead this GDF properly and he will get the support of the GDF,” Brigadier Bess said in response to a question about his confidence in Brigadier Khan at the change of command ceremony.
On April 26, President Irfaan Ali confirmed Bess as the 11th Chief of Staff of the GDF. He was also awarded the Military Service Star during a small ceremony at the Office of the President. These achievements came just as Bess was proceeding on retirement leave.
At the same ceremony, Khan, who held the rank of Colonel, was confirmed as Brigadier, just as he stepped into the role of Chief of Staff.
“I think the timing was impeccable. When I became chief of staff, you have to remember, it was July 2020. During that time there was a pandemic and there were other issues in this country,” Bess said at the change of command ceremony.
During this period they had to combat the contagious and sometimes deadly effects of COVID-19 pandemic, while simultaneously dealing with the uncertainty that existed after the March 2020 General and Regional Elections. But yet the GDF overcame each challenge impeccably, he stated.
He said that during his time the force deployed women soldiers for the first time at the borders to serve next to their male counterparts.
This move derailed some of the negative stereotypes society has about women serving, he added. Additionally, he noted that the GDF was also active in building relations with communities across Guyana to work along with community members to combat national security threats.
Bess, who will soon take up a position as an advisor to the President on security, admonished officers entering the GDF to stay in line by continuing to be guided by the Constitution. “To stay in line is simple. We preach and we teach that the GDF is subordinate to the civilian authority of the day and guided by the Constitution,” he said.
Now 55 years old, Bess has served in the GDF for some 33 years. Looking back, Bess said he had a fulfilling career, coming through the officer cadet course and following the footsteps of his mother who was a police officer. He thanked the force for sticking to core principles of the law and democracy.
