U.S. Brigadier General partners with GDF for local training

CHIEF of Staff, Brigadier Godfrey Bess, on Tuesday, welcomed Adjutant General of the Florida National Guard (FLNG), Brigadier-General James Eifert, and his team to the Guyana Defence Force (GDF) for a training exercise. Also welcoming the distinguished visitors were Colonel General Staff, Colonel Julius Skeete; Inspector General, Colonel Kenlloyd Roberts and Colonel Administration and Quartering, Commander Vernon Burnette, and U.S. Ambassador, Sarah-Ann Lynch.
“As trusted partners, your strong friendship and collaboration is much appreciated and it is important that we are supporting each other in beneficial initiatives,” Brigadier Bess said, adding that such partnerships are crucial. He also briefly recounted a few of the challenges posed by Guyana as a new oil-producing nation, and said that the GDF is capitalising on every opportunity build its capacity to be in a better position to respond to evolving threats. Brigadier Bess said that despite those challenges, Guyana remains committed to peace in the region.

“The Guyana Government is committed to the development of the GDF and we look forward to building capacity, accessing resources and benefitting from your continued support,” he said.
Brigadier Bess told the visiting delegation that Guyana is pleased to be hosting Exercise Tradewinds this year, and said that he is certain that visiting troops will benefit greatly from their interactions here. Major General Eifert expressed thanks for the warm Guyanese hospitality and indicated that it was a privilege to visit Guyana and the GDF.
“The Florida National Guard is proud to be a partner of yours. We look forward to working toward meeting your security objectives,” he said.
He commended the Guyana Defence Force for demonstrating its professionalism to the world given the national circumstances over the past year.
The FLNG provided a review of its partnership with the GDF for 2021, indicating that they had already met their goal, but the GDF will benefit from three more training and human development interactions before the end of the year. The partnership between the GDF and FLNG has resulted in several Subject Matter Expert Exchanges (SMEEs) involving troops from both institutions.