A total of 40 persons have completed a one-week course on strategy and defence policy, led by the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies in collaboration with Guyana’s National Defence Institute.
The graduates received their certificates of completion during a simple ceremony at the Guyana Police Force Training Centre on Camp Road, Georgetown on Friday.
Director of the National Defence Instititute, Dr Randolph Persaud said that the training covered various elements of strategic thought, including command and control, and defence planning.
“We also covered crisis decision-making during the week. We covered human rights. We did things like human security, small arms and light weapons proliferation,” he said in an interview on the sidelines of the graduation ceremony.
He explained that the participants were nominated by their respective organisations, and included persons from the Guyana Defence Force, Guyana Police Force, Environmental Protection Agency, Guyana Revenue Authority, and Office of the President.
“The quality of questions that came from them impressed the visiting faculty and of course the leadership of the National Defence Institute,” Dr Persaud added, dubbing the course an “overwhelming success”.
The training aimed to enhance the participants’ knowledge in the areas of strategy and defence policy, especially with regards to international security.
“The funding is internal. We did not receive any funding from outside. The Perry faculty did this pro bono through our Memorandum of Understanding. They are related as a knowledge producing and research institution to the United States government,” he further explained.
The Perry Centre faculty include Professors Celina Realuyo, Col. (Ret′d) Glyne Grannum (Barbados), and Dr Román D. Ortiz.
Dr Persaud further pointed to the Institute’s CEO Cybersecurity Workshop, which was conducted in November 2024. He explained that this training aligns with the Strategy and Defence Policy course in the NDI’s bid to strengthen the country’s defence infrastructure.
“By next September, we expect to have our enrollment system up, and once that is up, we expect to run a short course in strategic studies and development. And then we begin to we expect to begin degree programs, hopefully by September of 2025,” he said.
The NDI, a brainchild of President Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali was launched in September 2024 with the aim of establishing the institute as a ‘centre of excellence’ in defence, security, and development studies in Guyana and the Americas.
It helps to build capacity and expertise within the nation’s security architecture, offering world-class training to stakeholders locally and regionally.
The NDI is linked to the Regional Security System (RSS), the National Defence University in Washington D.C. and the William J. Perry Centre for Defense and Atmospheric Studies.
