GDF to ‘beef-up’ maritime capacity
Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West Delano Williams’ Photo
Chief-of-Staff, Brigadier Patrick West Delano Williams’ Photo

…chief-of-staff says investment in Coast Guard now crucial in light of oil sector

By Svetlana Marshall
CHIEF-OF-STAFF, Brigadier Patrick West, while concurring with President David Granger that significant resources have been injected into the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to transform its operation, said ocean patrol vessels, helicopters and off-road vehicles are needed to support adequately, the country’s emerging Oil and Gas Sector.
Brigadier West, in his address during the opening of the Annual Officers’ Conference at State House, said now that Guyana is an oil producing nation, the Guyana Defence Force must be better poised to tackle challenges that may arise so as to maintain safety and security.

“As the force continues this transformative process, ocean patrol vessels for the coastguards are necessary, helicopter for the air corps and more off-road vehicles are also necessary in order to ensure that at the force, we have the capability that is required to support an emerging oil nation,” the Chief-of-Staff said.

President Granger, in delivering the feature address, said his administration will continue to channel resources into the Defence Force, thereby enabling it to respond to the needs of the Oil and Gas Sector. He said, as the country enters the Decade of Development 2020-2029, his administration will invest in the continuous retooling and strengthening of the GDF, with significant emphasis on the Coast Guard, whose primary responsibility is to safeguard the country’s maritime zone inclusive of the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ).
Brigadier West, however, was the first to admit that the Defence Force is now better equipped when compared with previous years. “Our personnel are better resourced than in the preceding year and I am pleased to report also that we have a more active military education programme as well as an academic programme,” he told those present.

In providing a comparative analysis of the force’s performance, the Chief-of-Staff reported that in 2019, major emphasis was placed on human and infrastructural development.
“2019 saw an increased operational posture of the force, inclusive of active and integrated patrolling. The plan for 2020 will see an increase in the number of patrols as well as the areas to be covered further expanded across our land and sea spaces,” Brigadier West said.
In 2019, the Defence Force trained 2,272 or 73 per cent of its ranks locally – an increase of 15 ranks when compared to 2018. In 2017, 61 per cent of the Defence Force received training.

Part of that 2019 figure presents the first batch of officers, who graduated with Associated Degrees in General Studies, having completed a two-year designed Standard Officers’ Course. Added to the 2,272 trained locally, some 317 ranks received regional and international training in 2019 compared to 197 in 2018 and 147 in 2017. Of that number, 11 military personnel are currently in China undergoing STEM-related studies.

“The figures I alluded to, represent the force’s thrust to ensure that our ranks are adequately trained. We have to ensure in 2020 that we continue to invest in training and the development of our human resources,” he told the government, military and police officials present.

Education and training aside, Brigadier West reported that the Defence Force, in 2019, established an Engineering Services Department, and increased its fleet of aircraft to include Sky Vans, Islanders and a Beechcraft. Pilots, he said, underwent training in the U.S.
Administratively, during 2019, major focus was placed on troop accommodation, and improved quality of life and improved services. In moving forward, the Chief-of-Staff said there will be greater planning, accountability, adherence to procurement policies and better management of budgetary allocations and resources. “We will continue to embrace international bodies, propose bilateral and multilateral cooperation so as to provide the necessary assistance for the attainment of our goals,” he added.

The conference was held under the theme, ‘Effective Transformation for Total National Defence.’

Official records of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) show that in a period of two years, under the Granger-led Administration, $2.5B in equipment were donated by China, while the force’s budgetary allocation was increased by 74 per cent. In less than four years, more than 400 men and women in uniform, from the defence force, have been granted scholarships to pursue higher education.

According to the records seen by the Guyana Chronicle, between 2017 and 2018, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army contributed $2.5B in engineering and other equipment to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), thereby, boosting the force’s capacity to respond to the needs of the country.

Buses, patrol boats, bulldozers, an excavator, water tankers, fuel tankers, tipper trucks and off-road ambulances were among the equipment donated. Added to that, technical and military officers from the People’s Liberation Army conducted a series of training sessions with the GDF troops, on the use of the equipment.

Aside from the contributions made by external forces, the government has ramped up the GDF’s financial resources. In 2013, the GDF received approximately $7.2B. The following year, the Defence Force was allocated $8.044B; however, from then to now (2019), it has seen a 74 per cent increase. According to the force’s records, in 2019, it received $14.019B, of which $12.977B was allocated for recurrent projects and programmes, and $1.042B for capital expenditures.

Since 2015, there has been significant recapitalisation of the Air Corps. The force’s hangar, offices and operation centre have undergone rehabilitation, while a passengers’ lounge with modern facilities (baggage scanner) has been constructed. Notably, the GDF has acquired four fixed-wing aircraft – two Britten Norman Islanders and two Shorts Sky Vans.
Additionally, added to its fleet is a Beachcraft King Air 350 Corporate aircraft. In the pipeline are plans to acquire four rotor-wing aircraft by the end of 2020.

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