President Irfaan Ali, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, has charged the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to undertake continuous strategic transformation to meet contemporary security threats and safeguard national development.
Speaking at the opening of the Annual Officers Conference on Thursday at Camp Ayanganna, President Ali emphasised that the nation’s defence system must remain “flexible,” “nimble,” and “relevant” in an evolving security landscape. “Yes. We celebrate our accomplishments, but we now must define the next phase of this journey,” he told senior officers attending the conference.
The President stressed that defence can no longer be viewed in isolation, noting that the GDF’s mandate now extends to protecting national policies critical to development. “Where do we want our people to position? Is our Coast Guard appropriately positioned or headquartered in this modern era of defence and what is needed in the future? These are the questions we must confront now and adapt to what is necessary in a new environment,” he said.
At the core of the modern force, President Ali said, are its people. He highlighted the need for forward-looking training that anticipates future challenges rather than reacting to past ones. “What are we training for? Today or tomorrow?” he asked, calling for a clear gap analysis covering the next 15 to 20 years to ensure that people, capability, and capacity are properly aligned.
President Ali also outlined an expansion of traditional defence domains to include the economy, ecology, and environment. He emphasised the protection of telecommunications and technological infrastructure, including undersea cables, as central to Guyana’s economic well-being. Referencing the Global Biodiversity Alliance, which Guyana launched last year, he said, “We must now demonstrate in keeping with this national and international priority what our defence system will look like in relation to our ecology, our biodiversity, our environment because we are positioning this country and this economy in that sphere.”
Technology-driven defence, including artificial intelligence and enhanced intelligence capabilities, was highlighted as a key priority. “We have to develop our in-house AI and train our in-house AI with the right data, with the right information to be the right tool for our defence system. We can’t tiptoe around this issue,” President Ali said, underscoring the importance of domain awareness in protecting critical national assets.
On leadership within the force, he stated, “Our partners must know we are reliable in the defence of democracy, the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” while reminding officers that decisions made at the conference would affect every level of the GDF.
The Annual Officers Conference, held under the theme “Transforming the Force to Better Confront the Nation’s Present and Future Challenges by Enhancing its Awareness, Adaptability and Agility Capabilities,” was also addressed by Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan.
Among those in attendance were Prime Minister Brigadier (Ret’d) Mark Phillips; Senior Minister in the Office of the President with responsibility for Finance, Dr. Ashni Singh; Minister of Home Affairs, Oneidge Walrond; Commissioner of Police, Clifton Hickens; Chief Fire Officer, Gregory Wickham; Director of Prisons, Nicklon Elliot; Head of the Customs Anti-Narcotics Unit (CANU), James Singh; and Director of the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA), Colonel Sheldon Howell.
