…to serve as advisor to Govt on Defence Diplomacy
Former Chief-of-Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, has stated that one of his most valued accomplishments during his three-year tenure at the helm of the army is breaking the negative stereotype and ensuring greater inclusivity for female soldiers.
He made this remark on Friday during his farewell speech at Base Camp Ayanganna, where the Change of Command Parade was held for him to hand over the mantle of the GDF to Brigadier Omar Khan after serving 33 years in the force. Bess is proceeding on pre-retirement leave until December when he will officially retire.
“One of the significant accomplishments we achieved, that I value, is that for the first time in history, the Guyana Defence Force deployed female soldiers on the border to serve beside their male counterparts. This initiative derailed some of the negative stereotypes associated with our females and continues to bear dividends to date. It is my hope that the success of our females will go a far way towards supporting the fight for diversity, equity and inclusion,” Brigadier Bess stated as he reminisced on this tenure at the helm of the army.
This, he pointed out, was further reflected in the inclusion of three female guards, out of six, to lead Friday’s parade as well as the colour party in the parade.
Bess further expressed his satisfaction with the infrastructural works done by soldiers in communities across Guyana, support to the Men on Mission (MOM) initiative and other community development programmes as part of its contributions to the overall development of Guyana.
According to him, these have helped to enhance the image of the GDF and public confidence in the organisation.
“I have every confidence that the Guyana Defence Force will continue to improve in all areas under the command of Brigadier Khan,” he posited while charging the ranks to continue to serve the country with professionalism and integrity.
He also spoke about the enhancement of the GDF’s assets and capability which according to him were further supported by the various partnerships forged with militaries from other countries.
In addition to joining the Regional Security System, the GDF also established military relationships with the United Kingdom, The Netherlands, as well as signed several Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) with the Jamaica Defence Force, the Royal Bahamian Defence Force, the Indian Ministry of Defence and the French Army.
“This Memorandum of Understanding have the potential to contribute to the development of the Force by offering training and collaborative defence and security opportunities,” he noted.
To this end, Bridgadier Bess outlined that Defence Diplomacy is a critical pillar of Guyana’s defence strategy. In fact, he disclosed that while he is proceeding on retirement, he will continue to serve Guyana in the capacity of Advisor to Government on Defence Diplomacy.
He subsequently told reporters, “What I’ll be doing with the government is defence diplomacy… It has to do with us partnering with like-minded and friendly nations in order to build our diplomacy. As you are aware, our first line of defense is diplomacy.”
On Thursday, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Force, President Dr Irfaan Ali, announced that the government will be setting up a unit within the Office of the President that will focus on defence diplomacy in keeping with his administration’s foreign policy to pursue peaceful employment of defence resources and capabilities.
The Head of State had noted that this unit will be staffed with experienced individuals who have retired after serving in leadership capacities within the various disciplined services in the country.
On this note, Brigadier Bess confirmed with reporters on Friday that he will be serving as an advisor in that unit. He indicated that he will be starting this role sometime in the near future.
“I’m likely to start as soon as I think I’ve had enough [time on] leave… I’m raring and ready to go again. I want to serve the people… I always believe, from day one since I joined the Defence Force, that it’s not about me alone so I will serve.”
“I’m prepared to serve and I think most Guyanese, given the opportunity to, we must take it because we are a developing country. We recognize the issues we have, where we do not have enough persons in this country and we have to position our people. And I do believe that experience can help and guide our people,” he stressed.
The outgoing Chief of Staff further outlined his confidence in his successor, Brigadier Khan, who has been in the GDF for some 31 years.
“We’ve worked together. He is very intelligent. He is a competent officer. He is very strategic and I’m assured that he will lead this Guyana Defence Force properly and he will get the support of the Guyana Defence Force. Brigadier Khan is no stranger to us and he has worked a lot with my management team,” Bess stated.
Meanwhile, in a brief statement to the media, Brigadier Khan said he is ready to take over at the helm of the army.
“It is my intention in my tenure to work closely with my ranks, and also met the expectation that the country requires of us… My vision is guided by our National Security Strategy, and our national development thrust. So, that is really guided by the Defense Board and my vision is integrated into that,” Khan posited.
