–as National Assembly approves Defence Amendment Bill

IN a bid to strengthen Guyana’s defence structure and align it with modern approaches to military leadership, the National Assembly on Friday night passed the Defence Amendment Bill of 2024.

The Bill, which was tabled in the House last week, was brought up for its second reading and saw unanimous support from the National Assembly.
It paves the way for the title of the head of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to be changed from the Chief-of-Staff to “Chief of Defence Staff”.

During the Bill’s second reading on Friday, Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips stated that for many militaries around the world, the head is now called the Chief of Defence, Chief of Defence Staff, or Commander of Defence Force.

“The name Chief of Defence Staff is now more recognised across the regions and throughout the commonwealth,” he said.
He added that in the Defence Act, Chapter 15:01, Chief-of-Staff refers to the officer appointed by the President under Section 169 to have command of the Force. This term, he said, is now virtually unused, and has been relegated to an appointment in a subordinate unit.

As he went on to say: “The change in name holds the potential to strengthen our defence structure, and align it with modern approaches to military leadership worldwide. It is consistent and acceptable, and equally applicable to the Guyana Defence Force.”

Meanwhile, signalling the support of the Opposition to the amendment was Member of Parliament Amanza Walton-Desir, who stated that the change is simple but significant, and will bring the country up-to- date as far as the rest of the world is concerned.

She added: “Our view is that it could be advantageous for a number of reasons, among which are a unified command structure, in that this connotes a more centralised structure, where the focus is on coordinating the different branches of the military, as well as it lends to strategic coordination.”

Earlier this year, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Irfaan Ali unveiled plans for a comprehensive restructuring of the Guyana Defence Force.

At the time, Dr. Ali had said that with major investments being made in the Force, there will be structural changes, and noted that the shift in the Force’s asset base and strategy will soon be seen.

The strategic overhaul, he’d noted at the time, coincides with Guyana’s position on the United Nations (UN) Security Council, raising expectations for the country on a global scale.
Significant investments made through budgetary allocations and partnerships are dedicated to the bolstering of the country’s defence capabilities.