Stressing that Guyanese can only benefit from the country’s bountiful resources if they are protected, President David Granger yesterday called on the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to consider its role in strengthening border and maritime defence and ensuring the economic development of the country.

Addressing the GDF’s Annual Officers’ Conference at State House, President Granger declared that the GDF is fit for its role and is a superior organisation today compared to five years ago.

He pointed out that budgetary allocations jumped by more than 72.7% from $8.04b in 2014 to $13.9b in 2019.

While his address was made less than two months before the March 2nd general and regional elections, the Head of State promised the officers that improvements to the force will continue over the next ten years. He also spoke about the Decade of Development 2020-2029, launched this year and which he said will include investments aimed at the continuous retooling and strengthening of the Defence Force, expanding the Militia and intensifying field training in long-range jungle operations.

‘Preservation and protection’

In the address, President Granger, who is the Commander-in-Chief of the armed forces, stressed that the sovereignty of the state and the prosperity of the people depend on the preservation and protection of the country’s bountiful natural resources.

“Illegal appropriation and exploitation of these resources undermine national sovereignty and security and deprive the people of the opportunity to enjoy a good life,” the Head of State said.

 According to Granger, who is performing the functions of a caretaker President following a Caribbean Court of Justice ruling,  the Defence Force is tasked with responding to four formidable threats facing Guyana.

The first threat, according to the President, is the interruption of economic activity in the country’s Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) which has been a grave challenge in the recent past.

“The country’s maritime zone now is the scene of a surge of economic activity; petroleum production has commenced and exploration is continuing.  The EEZ must be protected from illegal incursions aimed at the intimidation of investors or interference with production,” the President told the officers.

Secondly, he said the country’s fisher folk have been threatened by criminal attacks in the past. He pointed out that the fishing sector contributes to the national economy and food security and that the country’s fishing grounds, and those who are employed in it, must be protected.

The third threat, according to Granger, is that illegal miners from other states have entered the country’s territory, occasionally, to exploit its mineral resources unlawfully and steal its wildlife. “Incur-sions into our territory by illegal miners and wildlife raiders must be resisted in order to protect our natural resources. Criminal gangs, known as ‘sindicatos’, have been known to invade mining camps, blockade rivers and commit murders. The country’s frontier communities and their residents are vulnerable to attacks from these armed gangs,” he pointed out.

Citizens of the north west and Region Seven have continued to complain about incursions by sindicatos.

And the fourth threat the GDF must be mindful of is natural hazards such as floods and drought which can inflict destruction, distress and death. Natural hazards, Granger said, can degrade the country’s natural capital and result in costly damage to the environment and public property. Both the coastland and hinterland have been affected, he noted.

‘Fit for role’

But President Granger has every confidence in the GDF since he said that it is “fit for role”. He pointed out that the promulgation of a defence doctrine, the strengthening of the technical corps, the pursuit of defence cooperation with friendly countries and the implementation and organizational restructuring have improved the Force’s readiness to respond to threats.

The doctrine of Total National Defence, he said, implies that all the elements of national power – diplomatic, economic, military, political, social and technological – will be employed to reinforce defence and promote economic development. This doctrine means, he added, that the nation must depend on an affordable but effective Defence Force while counting on the cooperation of citizens in the case of a challenge to its territorial integrity.

And improvements in the technical corps – particularly the Air Corps, Engineer Corps, Signal Corps and Coast Guard – according to the President, have enhanced the force’s agility and capability.

He reminded that the Air Corps’ fleet was augmented with the acquisition of light reconnaissance aircraft. The Signal Corps benefitted from the acquisition of new communications equipment and personnel training. The Engineer Corps received equipment to improve its responsiveness to climate hazards and promote greater stability and climate resilience in frontier communities particularly in the South Rupununi.

He told the officers that the country is entering a transformative stage of development during which four processes will unfold.

These are: a ‘petroleum state’, possessing substantial petroleum reserves in the  EEZ; a ‘green state’, emphasising the preservation and protection of Guyana’s environment, the sustainable management of the country’s natural resources and increased generation of renewable energy sources; a ‘digital state’, promoting increased communications integration and interconnectivity; and an ‘education nation’, enabling universal primary and secondary education and easier access to tertiary education.

Better management

Meantime, Chief of Staff, Brigadier Patrick West boasted that the force was able to manage its budgetary allocations in 2019 and provided all logistical support for the operational exercises of the force.

“I am happy to report at this forum that there are no known liabilities for the force in 2019. In 2020 there will be greater planning, accountability, adherence to procurement policies and better management of our budgetary allocations and resources,” he said.

And with Guyana on the verge of becoming an oil producing country, West said that the GDF must be able to handle some of the challenges that will arise and he said it will do its best to maintain safety and security in the changing environment.

“We must be able to provide adequate support to the Coast Guard for operation and for recovery efforts. Besides that I am pleased to say there is an ongoing project at the Coast Guard which will be completed very soon [that will enhance] the monitoring of our main rivers,” West said.

Ocean patrol vessels

West added that ocean patrol vessels, helicopters and more vehicles are necessary in order to ensure that the force has the capability required to support the emerging industry.

That being said, West stated that the force’s personnel are better resourced than in the preceding years and now it has a more active military education programme as well as an academic programme.  This, he said, has resulted in a more value-added soldier and more officers benefiting from tertiary education.

Giving an overview of last year he said that the force trained 2,272 ranks locally which the Chief of Staff said amounts to about 73% of its members compared to 2,257 ranks in 2018. He said 317 ranks are or were attending external academic institutions last year while only 197 attended the previous year and 147 in 2017.

“The figures I alluded to represents the force’s thrust to ensure that our are ranks adequately trained. We have to ensure that in 2020 that we continue to invest in training and the development of our human resources,” the Chief of Staff said.

And through the force’s collaboration with the University of Guyana the first batch of officers who attended the two-year redesigned standard officers’ course graduated with associate degrees in general studies. He disclosed that after a hiatus of nine years a body of reserve officers was commissioned.

In 2019 as well the GDF established an engineering department which is now responsible for military construction and ensuring that such constructions can withstand the test of time for extended military operations.  As well the GDF’s fleet at the airport was expanded with the addition of a sky van, a highlander and one beachcraft which necessitated a process for more pilots and engineers to be trained. To this end the Chief of Staff said a number of officers have completed pilot training in the US.

He said that as the process of transformation continues there will be both the physical expansion of the infrastructure at the air corps and the air corps itself will be further expanded to cater for the expanded services and the accumulation of other craft.

Meantime, he said that the coast guard continues to play a great role in patrolling the country’s waterways and with the involvement of other law enforcement agencies continues to protect Guyana’s aquatic resources and the fight against money laundering and drug trafficking.

On the administrative level Brigadier West said much focus was placed on the improvement of troop accommodation, improved quality of life and improve services rolled out for ranks. Housing initiatives were also realized.

Held under the team ‘Effective Transformation for a Total National Defence’, the conference saw the attendance of Minister of Public Security Khemraj Ramjattan, Minister of Legal Affairs and Attorney-General Basil Williams, Minister of Finance Winston Jordan and heads of the other joint services among others.