By Svetlana Marshall

GEORGE Allan Lewis was sworn in as the 9th Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) by Commander-in-Chief and President, David Granger on Monday shortly after being promoted to the rank of Brigadier.He took the oath of office before the Prime Minister (ag) and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Carl Greenidge; Minister of State Joseph Harmon and the outgoing Chief- of-Staff, Mark Phillips, during a simple ceremony at the Officers Mess at Base Camp Ayanganna.

Senior functionaries within the GDF were also present, along with relatives of the new Chief-of-Staff. President Granger, in offering congratulatory remarks, said Brigadier Lewis’ appointment was in accordance with the Defence Act, noting too that he was the most appropriate person for the position.

“The board deliberated, the board discussed and the board decided on the retirement of Brigadier Mark Phillips,” the President said while adding that the “fittest person to be appointed the Chief-of-Staff was Colonel George Allan Lewis.”

He added: “The Board is confident that Brigadier Lewis is the most senior and best qualified officer to perform the functions of the high office of Chief-of-Staff.”

Now in office, Brigadier Lewis has the responsibility to give guidance to the force under the watch of the Defence Board.

“The Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force therefore has an unambiguous mandate within the law to apply his military education, his military expertise and his military experience to protect the citizens and defend the territorial integrity of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana in accordance with the Defence Act, under the Authority of the Defence Board and in accordance with the directives of the Minister.”

President Granger also used the opportunity to offer the Board’s appreciation to the outgoing Chief-of-Staff for his service to the people of Guyana. Brigadier Phillips, who entered office in August 2013, was applauded for his conduct of exercises Greenheart and HomeGUARD. According to the President, the outgoing Chief-of- Staff displayed high levels of administrative preparedness and operational readiness.

In a brief interview with media operatives, Brigadier Lewis said he had long aspired to be the Chief-of-Staff of the GDF. “As I grew in rank…the thought started crossing my mind and today it has been achieved,” he told reporters shortly after the ceremony ended.

In moving the force forward, Brigadier Lewis said he intends to tackle many challenges facing the GDF. “Our mandate is to provide border defense, (however), we have some challenges there which we definitely have to work on and it may involve some amount of recapitalisation, acquisition of new equipment and so on,” he stated.

However, he noted that these challenges are being discussed and will be solved in conjunction with the Defense Board. “We have identified the issues and we are working to resolve them,” the Chief-of-Staff emphasised. In addition, to his wealth of experience in the army, the Chief-of- Staff in 2003, acquired his Bachelor’s Degree in Public Management from the University of Guyana; Three years later, in 2006 he achieved his Master’s Degree in Human Resources Management from the Central Michigan University.

Additionally, he has received more than six awards, which included the Military Efficiency Medal (Guyana 1993), the 25th Anniversary Medal (Guyana 1990), the United Nations Peace Keeping Medal (United Nations Mission in Haiti 1996), the Military Service Medal (Guyana 2011) and Colaborador Emerito do Exercito Medalla do Pacificador from Brazil in 2011.