National defence
Editorial
Stabroek News
June 22, 2004
The farewell address of outgoing Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force Major General Michael Atherly last month went well beyond the usual platitudes and prating associated with such ritual formalities. He left the Guyana Defence Board and the Guyana Defence Force with much to think about and, hopefully, much to do to correct flaws in this country's national defence.
Maj Gen Atherly's candour should come as no surprise to the defence establishment of which, as Chief of Staff and a member of the Defence Board, he was part for the past four years. He also served the Defence Force in various capacities for 34 years and was a member of the bi-partisan Border and National Security Committee established as part of the Jagdeo-Hoyte constructive engagement process. He might have been speaking out of a sense of frustration that the recommendations of that committee are still to be implemented and had to be repeated by the recent Disciplined Forces Commission before which he also appeared.
In essence, General Atherly pointed out that changes in the international and national environments had made some of Guyana's old approaches to public order and national security ineffectual. He warned, grimly, that law enforcement agencies could not respond appropriately to the new threats which, if left unchecked, could see the "movement of real power beyond the confines of traditional holders and within the group of undesirables."
As is well known, criminal activities such as drug-trafficking, money-laundering, back-trafficking and gun-running are interrelated, and operations cannot be conducted successfully against one to the exclusion of another. There is a need, therefore, "to formulate and implement a national security strategy that employs all instruments of national power in a more integrated way to meet this demanding challenge." This would require a much higher degree of inter-agency co-operation than obtains at present, to combine defence with diplomacy, economic development with law enforcement, and the civil with the military.
To achieve this, a larger number and broader range of civilians should become involved in defence and strategic planning. At present, the Defence Board, chaired by President Bharrat Jagdeo, has exclusive responsibility for defence policy, but the board is itself made up largely of like-minded ministers and public officials. There is probably a hint here that enough inter-agency coordination and strategic thinking are not being done by the board. Atherly suggests, therefore, that this 'mindset' needs revision to better address today's changing national security situation.
Perhaps, Atherly's most practical recommendation was that the Coast Guard should be upgraded to permit it to 'transition' rapidly from its routine engagement in constabulary duties to crisis response and countervailing military action. Inheriting a depleted Coast Guard when he assumed office as Chief of Staff in May, Atherly helplessly witnessed the hostile action of Suriname's navy in the expulsion of the CGX petroleum platform in June, 2000. To his credit, Atherly has overseen the rebuilding of the Coast Guard with the acquisition of the Essequibo and some smaller vessels which, he suggests, might have been necessary, but not sufficient, to ensure Guyana's territorial integrity in this changing world.
It is a pity, perhaps, that the Chief of Staff felt it prudent to make these important recommendations publicly only from the safety of retirement rather than during the course of his service. Now that General Atherly's words have been widely broadcast, however, President Bharrat Jagdeo, who was present at the farewell parade, will not be able to ignore them.