President wants armed forces to have ‘stronger connection’ with civilians

Members of Guyana’s armed forces should forge better ties with civilians, President Dr. Irfaan Ali said on Wednesday at the commissioning parade of the Standard’s Officers’ Course #54.

As he spoke directly to the officers, the Head of State said Guyana’s new defence policy focuses on creating stronger local armed forces.

This will be done through increased visibility, boosting human resource capacity, facilitating technological advancements, cross-country exchanges and safeguarding the welfare of the men and women in the armed forces.

A huge focus will also be directed towards guaranteeing that there is a stronger connection between the armed forces and the community.

“This will allow for greater public confidence in and support for the force,” President Ali, who is also the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces, said at the ceremony held at Drill Square, Base Camp Ayanganna.

The officers who graduated from the course, the President said, are a crucial part of the development of the armed forces.

The Standard Officer’s Course (SOC) was developed to provide training not only for new army officers but also for new officers of the other disciplined services.

It is only an introduction to the officer training and development systems of all military and paramilitary services in Guyana and the Caribbean and must be supplemented by the appropriate specialist and technical training of the relevant services.