Philips to pursue civilian life of service to country

GINA, GUYANA, Friday, September 30, 2016

Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defense Force, Brigadier General, Mark Philips, will end his tour of duty in the military on Monday, October 3, 2016. Phillips joined the Guyana Defence Force at the age of 19 and served for thirty five years. For three of those years he was the Chief of Staff, the highest position in the GDF.

Reflecting on his time as Chief of Staff, Philips said while there were good times, there were also some very challenging times. He said during his term as the Chief of Staff, he was able to create a leadership team through “strategic, imperative, operational readiness.”

“We are basically able to exercise operational reach to any part of Guyana. Utilizing whatever resources we have we can reach to any part of Guyana to deal with any threat,” Philips explained.

The Chief of Staff said that most of the successes achieved were due to interagency collaboration with the Guyana Police Force and other Government and Non-Governmental organizations. He pointed to the recent discovery of an abandoned aircraft in the interior.

“The Guyana Defense Force and the Guyana Police force are working together and with information from the people in our hinterland, we are able to quickly move to an airstrip and discover an illegal aircraft on an illegal airstrip in Guyana,” Phillips said.

Additionally, the Brigadier General pointed out that the GDF is not confined to protect the Guyanese border but, is also involved in safeguarding democracy in Guyana.

Phillips recalled his statement when he took the Oath as Chief of Staff. “Professionalism will be my guide,” he had said back then Today, he said he is happy to have upheld that commitment to the Guyanese society.

After thirty five years of serving Guyana as a soldier, Phillips said that he wants to continue serving Guyana wearing a different cap. “My next move is to take off my uniform and find appropriate civilian clothing and find an appropriate civilian type job to continue to serve the people of Guyana,” he said.

Phillips today delivered the feature address at the closing of the Senior Command and Staff Course Number Fourteen as the GDF Base Camp Stephenson, Timehri

On Monday, October 3 2016, a Change of Command Parade for the outgoing Chief of Staff, Brigadier General, Mark Phillips and incoming Chief of Staff, Colonel George Lewis will be held at Base Camp Ayanganna.

By: Isaiah Braithwaite