National Defence Institute launched

The National Defence Institute was launched today as part of an effort by the Guyana Government to further protect Guyana’s national interest, while safeguarding the region against various threats.

At the launching of the Defence Institute, President Irfaan Ali said the institute will be linked to the Regional Security System (RSS) and will serve as an academic research institution, producing action plans and analysis of threats and challenges facing the region.

“The National Defence Institute is a regional institute and within a short time period we want this to be the premier intelligence, defence security agency in the region. We want this institute to be the institute that will be training all of our strategic thinkers in defence and security, the President noted.

The National Defence University in Washington and the Perry J Center for Hemispheric Studies will be the institute’s strategic and academic partners.

The President said the National Defence Institute will also offer strategic courses that are designed to help persons in decision making to guard against various threats that the country will confront.

The immediate agenda is to have a diplomatic survey done to help the country to understand regional threats and challenges.

The President said the region has been faced with the threats of gangs which can destabilize economies. He said the Institute will play a crucial role to help the country deter such threats.

“The threats are no longer confined to traditional threats; they are now incorporate a range of threats capable of undermining our sovereignty and national security. The threats we face today are not limited to the conventional challenges of border disputes and territorial incursions,” the President said.

Chief of Defence Staff of the Guyana Defence Force, Brigadier Omar Khan, said the institute will prioritize training and development of leaders in cyber security and other critical areas, noting that it will also play a pivotal role in security and development.

“Such an institute nurtures the intellectual and operational capabilities of all of our national resource, serving as a beacon for strategic taught and action to support national development. The Defence therefore, is an integral component of the eco-system of national development,” Brigadier Khan said.

Director of the National Defence Institute, Dr. Randy Persaud said programmes that will be offered will cover a number of areas, including Strategic Studies, Civilian-Military Relations and Foreign Policy.

The National Defence Institute will be based at the University of Guyana.