BRIGADIER George Lewis’ brief stint as Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force has ended and today his successor, Colonel Patrick West will assume the position at a military ceremony billed for Camp Ayanganna.West will first be promoted to the rank of Brigadier and then sworn in as the tenth Chief-of-Staff around 07:00h at the Executive Room at the Officers Mess at Base Camp Ayanganna. The Change of Command Parade in honour of Lewis, is scheduled for 1600 hours. 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 October 2, 2016 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 his predecessor Brigadier Mark Phillips.

West in 2010 became Guyana’s first officer to have earned two masters degrees simultaneously; one in Military Arts and Science and the other in Administration. That year he returned from the US where he attended the United States Army Command and General Staff College in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas and the Central Michigan University, through the bilateral co-operation agreement between the GDF and the US Military. The institution educates and develops leaders for full spectrum, joint, interagency and multinational operations, acts as a lead agent for the army’s leader development programme and advances the art and science of the profession of arms in support of Army operational requirements.

Col. West recorded phenomenal performance in all his assigned duties and was also lauded for his immeasurable contribution to the success and professional development of the Army, Air Force and International Military students last year, while taking advantage of every opportunity to enhance his own professional development.