GUYANA Defence Force (GDF) Corporal, Deron Jermin Harvey has been selected for the Young Bandsmen Course at Army Education Corps Training College and Centre in Pachmarhi, India.

According to a release from the High Commission of India, the course runs from August 10, 2022 to June 20, 2023, and is part of the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Defence courses which are designed for Friendly Armed Forces across the world by the Indian Ministry of Defence.

Corporal Harvey joined the GDF in 2014, and is now part of the Band Corps of the Army Military Band. He resides on the West Coast of Demerara.

High Commissioner of India, Dr. KJ Srinivasa congratulated and briefed Corporal Harvey on the course, and the ongoing collaboration between the GDF and Indian Armed Forces on training.

India and Guyana’s partnership across various sectors now includes a strong collaboration in defence training, the release said.

“In early 2021, the Government of India announced 19 defence training slots to the Guyana Defence Force under its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) Programme. These training slots include:  10 Army Courses, four Naval Courses and five Air Force Courses.  These courses of different durations, three to six months, are spread over multiple months that are being conducted in different time periods during the 2021-2022 cycle. This is the first time that Guyana has had access to these military training programmes. Under the ITEC Programme, the Government of India covers all expenses related to this training, and provides the trainees with return air tickets, accommodation charges, tuition fees, living expenses, medical expenses, external and internal tours as per course curriculum,” the release said.

Corporal Harvey is the 15th such recipient of the training scholarship. Currently, 11 GDF officers have completed their training, and three are currently in India under training. For the 2022-2023 cycle, India has offered 38 slots for the GDF, the release said.

“India extends defence cooperation to a number of countries, where the armed forces work together to achieve mutual aims and objectives, to assist them to strengthen their institutions in relation to security, to strengthen security systems in the context of continued threats of territorial incursion and terrorism, to provide training in various military skills, including combat, marksmanship, emergency medical evacuation, search-and-rescue and recovery responses, etc.  The broad objectives of Indian defence cooperation include promotion of intra and extra regional peace and stability through dialogue and cooperation in the field of defence and security. It also encourages sharing of operational and doctrinal expertise, training and capability enhancement, strengthening of ties with other countries and sharing of military technologies. Such cooperation allows for the examination and imbibing of ‘best practices’, creates ability to operate alongside and enhances Maritime Domain Awareness, through a variety of information sharing mechanisms,” the release said.

It noted that with the interest of foreign armies for training in Indian Army establishments increasing considerably, the armed forces personnel from India’s neighbouring countries, South East Asia, Central Asian Republics (CAR), African continent and a few developed countries are regularly attending military courses and being trained in India.

India is now engaged in a wide range of activities with other friendly countries, ranging from Chile and Brazil in the Far-West to Japan and Korea in the Far-East and has concluded suitable defence cooperation agreements with over 30 countries, the release said, noting that Guyana is the latest addition to this list of Indian partner countries.