17 more Officers Equipped For Senior Leadership and Command

The course, which lasted 17 weeks, was conducted under the tutelage of the Training Corps’ Colonel Cecil Martindale Command and Staff School. It aims to train Officers to function as Unit Commanders and Senior Staff Officers at the Battalion and Brigade Headquarter levels, across the full spectrum of military operations.

Chief-of-Staff (ag), Colonel Omar Khan, who addressed the Officers at the graduation ceremony held at the Officers’ Mess , Base Camp Ayanganna, congratulated the directing staff for ensuring the 100% pass rate.

Colonel Khan utilised the opportunity to encourage the Officers to make sound decisions and reminded them that their greatest assets are the human resource in the form of subordinates under their charge.

“At this juncture of your career, you will be the change agents of the Force, carrying out the policies of Defence Headquarters and getting your subordinates to get things done. They must have an understanding of what they are contributing to and have a passion for doing it. All of us are here in the GDF because we have a passion to serve, and so, when change unfolds in the environment, that passion should not be affected. You are to promote and maintain that passion among your subordinates,” he implored.

Touching also on the key area of leadership, he reminded the Officers that this was not signified by the rank they wear, but rather, by the decisions they made which are informed by accumulated knowledge.

Three Officers demonstrated exceptional excellence throughout the course and were recognised for their outstanding performances. Captain Lloyden Layne was adjudged Best Graduating Student while Captain Rono Joseph received the prize for Runner-up Student.

Lieutenant Coast Guard Ronald Mc Intyre copped the prize for Best Service Paper. His paper discussed how Guyana could diversify its economy to become less dependent on the oil and gas sector by 2032. The Officer undertook his study by using a conceptual approach to determine the link between sustainable development and economic diversification and to further identify the factors that influence successful diversification strategies.

The SCSC curriculum saw the Officers being exposed to an array of core focus areas such as Leadership, Strategic Planning and Accountability, International, Regional and National Security Affairs, Multi-agency Command and Cooperation, Civil-military Relations, Military History and Knowledge, and Multi-Operation Planning, among others.

Performance was judged on essays, presentations, class participation and a research paper which was used to validate the training.

The course afforded the Officers the opportunity to visit several organisations such National Security and Intelligence Agency (NISA) and the Public Service Commission to get first-hand experience and understanding of their operations. (Guyana Defence Force)