President Ali urges GDF overhaul to meet contemporary threats, support national progress

Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces, President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, charged the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) to undertake continuous strategic transformation to meet modern security threats and safeguard national development.

Speaking at the opening of the Annual Officers Conference on Thursday at Camp Ayanganna, the president emphasised that the nation’s defence system must remain ‘flexible’, ‘nimble,’ and ‘relevant’ to safeguard national development 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 at Base Camp Ayanganna.

President Ali made it clear that defence can no longer be viewed in a vacuum, pointing out that GDF’s mandate now extends to protecting national policies critical to national development. Guyana, he revealed, has moved ahead of many regional peers in this critical thinking.

Partnership, priority, position and policy

President Ali outlined a specific framework: partnership, priority, position and policy, that must guide the next phase of the force’s journey. He said partnerships must be integrated and coordinated within national policy, questioning how the defence mechanism integrates with national assets and challenges.

“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 stressed.

People, capability and capacity at the core

At the core of this modern force are its people. President Ali warned that training must anticipate the future challenges rather than reacting to past ones, asking, “what are we training for? Today or tomorrow?”

He noted that defence personnel must prepare for shifts in migration and culture, stating that training within the GDF must not be limited to military priorities alone. To support this, he called for a clear gap analysis covering the next 15 to 20 years to ensure that people, capability and capacity are properly aligned.

New defence domains: economy, ecology and environment

The commander-in-chief went on to outline a significant expansion of traditional defence domains to include the economy, ecology and environment.

He raised concerns about the protection of telecommunications and technological infrastructure, including undersea cables, describing them as central to Guyana’s economic well-being.

At the same time, he highlighted Guyana’s leadership on environmental issues, referencing the country’s role in advancing the Global Biodiversity Alliance.

Only recently, the United Kingdom (UK), Belize and Panama signed onto the GBA, which was launched in Georgetown by the president last year.

“This tells you that our defence architecture goes beyond the tradition,” the President said, stating that, “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, intelligence and domain awareness

The President also announced a strategic shift toward technology-driven defence, including artificial intelligence and enhanced intelligence capabilities.

He disclosed that defence structures would be adjusted to reflect new priorities involving AI, technology and modern defence assets, describing this area as “the most important branch of the future.”

“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,” the president stressed.

He also emphasised the importance of domain awareness in protecting critical national assets, referencing recent acts of terrorism as evidence of evolving threats.

Responsibility, reliability and leadership

President Ali told officers that responsibility, reliability and readiness must define the GDF, particularly in building trust with international partners.

“Our partners must know we are reliable in the defence of democracy, the rule of law, sovereignty and territorial integrity,” he emphasised.

He reminded officers that decisions made at the conference would affect every level of the Defence Force, placing a heavy responsibility on leadership.

The conference is being 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.”

Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, also delivered remarks at the conference.

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, among others were among those in attendance.