Eleven officers of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) will soon be off to China to take advantage of scholarships they were awarded.
The 11 Second Lieutenants will be pursuing studies in the fields of Industrial, Naval Architecture and Ocean Engineering; Computer Science and Technology; Industrial, Electronic Information Engineering; Mechatronics Engineering; Bio-engineering; Aeronautical Engineering; Mechanical Engineering; and Chemical Engineering and Technology.
They met with Commander-in-Chief, President David Granger, yesterday during which he reminded them of plans for the Force to be restructured and reorganised to ensure that it is well-commanded, well-trained and well-equipped to perform its role. The President said the Force’s technical corps – the Air Corps, Engineer Corps, Intelligence Corps, and Signal Corps as well as the Coast Guard – are being improved and retooled, as part of this restructuring and reorganisation process.
Moreover, the Head of State said the Defence Force, “must be ready to react effectively to traditional threats – incursions and to other forms of interventions. It must be prepared, also, to strengthen its capacity to respond to new and emerging threats, such as biological and chemical warfare, cyber threats, electronic warfare, and environmental hazards.”
President Granger said too that Guyana’s doctrine of total national defence places emphasis, inter alia, on ensuring a body of scientifically-trained personnel to populate the technical arms of the Force. As such, he noted, the continuous training of officers is a key element of this policy.
The President reminded that in his address to the graduates of the Standards Officers’ Course No. 50 and the Reserve Officers’ Course No. 16 he said training is fundamental to military service.
“It is the foundation of a professional and proficient Force. Training is essential for ensuring the success of military missions and enhancing operational and organizational effectiveness,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ambassador Cui Jianchun said that, with the scholarships, Guyana and China’s cooperation is strengthened. He urged the recipients to cherish the opportunities provided to them and to be good Guyanese ambassadors.
“Guyana has a bright future…Guyana and China have a great foundation…share your experiences,” the Ambassador urged the scholarship awardees, even as he noted that “we need engineers, we need technology and we need the Guyana Defence Force to do more things for Guyana’s development.”
The scholarship awardees are Kevon Blount, Romain Wilson, Shaka Williams, Floyd Phillips, Jamaal Leitch, Sevon Ferreira, Shane Blair, Neon Fiedtkou, Shivanand Persaud, Seabra Manbode and Jehu West.
