FIFTY-SEVEN officers and 691 ranks participated in the culmination of the field tactical exercise (FTX) code-named “Exercise Greenheart” in the presence of their Commander in Chief, President David Granger, and of Public Security Minister Khemraj Ramjattan.At the break of dawn, the officers conducted a live ambush battle that saw two battalions and a storage company participating in a close country warfare operation in Region Seven, Cuyuni-Mazaruni. Like a true war zone, gunshots rang out across the battle field just off the Bartica Airstrip, grenades were lobbed from various directions, and smoke screens were released to aid the troops with their ambush. The army troops, in the end, emerged victorious, as they demonstrated that they were ready to defend Guyana against its enemies.

In brief congratulatory remarks, President David Granger told the troops that the exercise was done to demonstrate the “effectiveness of our defence forces.” The Guyanese leader said that, in keeping with the Constitution of Guyana, the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) was mandated to “defend our national independence.”

Describing the exercise as “magnificent”, Granger said the GDF needed to preserve and maintain the country’s sovereignty and integrity. He noted that it is the GDF’s role to provide for the security of citizens against armed aggression.

“Today, Guyana has witnessed a display of total national defence,” he said, emphasising the need for troops to master their natural environment, as three-quarters of Guyana is covered with jungle. “Today, the GDF has displayed, demonstrated, and proven that it is a jungle force to be reckoned with, because they have been able to master the environment of Guyana”.

“Happy and honoured”, the President said, is how he feels after witnessing the live simulation activity and march through the streets of Bartica.

“They say that Bartica is the gateway to the hinterland; but for the enemy, they thought Bartica would have been the gateway to the coastland. But today, the GDF has stopped them in their tracks. So Bartica is the gateway to a free Guyana. This exercise has been able to demonstrate the effectiveness of our defence forces.”

Green Experience
He stressed that every officer must be trained at the Colonel Robert Mitchell Jungle and Amphibious Warfare Training School, located at Makouria, some 10 km away from Bartica.

“Today, the GDF has demonstrated that it is master of the environment, the environment which is covered by jungle. As far as the GDF is concerned, operating in the jungle is like a fish operating in water. It is natural; this is our natural environment, and you have shown us today that you are capable of operating in the jungle like a fish can operate in water,” he said.

Stressing that every soldier is a citizen and every citizen is a soldier, the President called on all to work in unison to protect the country’s territorial sovereignty.

“Every soldier in the GDF, no matter what arm he or she goes into, will be required to go through the jungle and amphibious warfare training school at some phase along his or her career. If one is going to be a pilot or a sailor, he or she must pass through the jungle warfare school. These are musts for training soldiers to operate in our environment,” he added, noting that the GDF had begun a programme of greening that required every soldier to gain experience operating in the jungle.

President Granger stressed the importance of soldiers exercising and keeping fit. “So there is no room for complacency, there is no room for flabbiness when you exercise…there is no opportunity for you to become unfamiliar with your environment. This is a logical sequence, you have a doctrine that is clearly defined, you have knowledge which you gained on your courses, you have skills which you have practised, you have had command post exercise, and now you have been on a field practical exercise; and finally, what you (have) done here is exemplary,” he said.

Secure investments
The President made a pitch to investors by indicating that their investments in Guyana would be protected. “People must know that when they come into Guyana to invest, they’d be coming into a safe environment that is protected by one of the best defence forces in the Caribbean, the GDF.

“Guyana,” he said, “is committed to protecting its investment, and no other country must intimidate them or threaten them. So what you have done here, GDF, is an example to show foreign direct investors that their investments are safe and that Guyana will use every fibre of its state system, its defence forces, to protect their investments.”

Meanwhile, Colonel George Lewis, Assistant Director of Operations, explained that the exercise commenced on October 20, and that the troops advanced over 24.5 kilometres for the first three days of the exercise, after which they took up defensive positions in the jungle.

Colonel Lewis said the troops participated in patrolling, ambushing, and close-target reconnaissance. The week-long activities concluded yesterday with the final advance and attack in the morning.

Colonel Lewis said, “It is an exercise which we would have launched to test the preparedness of our troops to operate in closed-country operation. Closed-country means jungle, in the jungle environment. That’s why we would have launched it annually (and) we would do different exercises. We operate in closed-country environment, open-country environment, and sometimes based on needs — especially if there is an election or so — we would conduct internal security operations.”

From time to time, the troops conduct disaster relief operations, Lewis told the media. He was, however, quick to point out that the exercise wasn’t designed because of the Venezuelan border controversy.

By Ariana Gordon