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Guyana Mission, Organization, and Capabilities
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Figure 8. Guyana: Military Ranks and Insignia, 1991
Responsible for protecting Guyana from external threats, the
GDF also concerned itself with internal security, border defense,
civic work, and other activities. Some observers viewed the GDF
primarily as a partisan internal security force, noting in
particular the deployment of its best units to the capital. Yet the
military was also a deterrent to the genuine external threat
resulting from the border disputes with Venezuela and Suriname
(see
fig. 7).
In the 1960s, the GDF carried out military operations to
counter both external and internal threats. In 1969 the GDF quelled
an insurrection in the interior led by ranchers who the government
believed had been armed and aided by Venezuela. That same year the
GDF expelled Surinamese soldiers from a disputed area in
southeastern Guyana.
The GDF maintained a high level of involvement in civic action
and national development. Training and logistical support to the
agriculture, mining, fishing, and construction sectors received the
greatest emphasis. The GDF provided medical support to civilians as
needed, and its telecommunications and aviation resources were used
during emergencies and in relief operations.
The armed forces were a single unified service comprising
ground, naval, and air components. This structure gave the army
operational control over the naval and air elements. The president
of Guyana was commander in chief of the GDF. The GDF was organized
into approximately twenty corps whose activities ranged from
training to intelligence to catering and musical performance.
Service in the GDF was voluntary, and its membership was
overwhelmingly Afro-Guyanese. Women were accepted into the service
but constituted only a small percentage of the total force.
The land component of the GDF, by far the dominant service in
size and importance, in 1990 had an active strength of
approximately 1,400. The principal combat units were two infantry
battalions, one guard battalion, one Special Forces battalion, one
support weapons battalion, one artillery battery, and one engineer
company. The composition of the two infantry battalions was
standardized in 1980. Each of these two units consisted of a
headquarters company, three rifles companies, and a support
company.
Army matériel included armored reconnaissance vehicles,
artillery, and surface-to-air missiles. The GDF generally used
equipment of British, Soviet, or United States design (see
table 9,
Appendix A).
The air wing of the GDF was created in 1968. In 1970 it was
redesignated the Air Command, GDF. The 200-member Air Command was
headquartered at Camp Ayanganna in Georgetown. In the early 1990s,
its five aircraft and five helicopters operated from Georgetown's
Timehri Airport. The command's primary missions were
transportation, communications, and liaison. Secondary missions
included counternarcotics, and maritime patrolling. All aircraft
were civil registered.
A naval section of the GDF was created in 1968 and consisted of
four small patrol craft. During the 1970s and 1980s, the naval
component gained additional vessels although it remained the
smallest element of the GDF, with four vessels in the early 1990s.
Officially known as the Maritime Corps, the naval section numbered
100 personnel in 1991. Based in Georgetown and New Amsterdam, the
navy had no marine force or aircraft.
Service in the GDF was voluntary, and the privileged treatment
accorded the armed forces was the primary reason for joining the
service. Quarters and food were good, and pay was often better than
in the civilian sector. A military career offered the advantages of
medical care for personnel and their families, a retirement plan,
and survivor benefits.
Uniforms were based on a British model. GDF dress for men
consisted of tropical khaki shirts and trousers. Short canvas
leggings were worn, and the standard headgear was a red beret
decorated with the national arms. There was also a ceremonial
uniform consisting of a white coat and dark blue trousers. Women
had several uniforms, including a khaki blouse and slacks worn with
a fatigue hat and a light khaki blouse and skirt worn with a green
beret
(see
fig. 8).
Data as of January 1992
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