GDF troops complete tactical field exercise ‘Ironweed’
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the country, such as open country, close country and jungle.
Granger, the statement said, added that mastering the country’s various terrains will increase confidence in force readiness. “The most important lesson you can take away from this is the need to protect your territory, our country. Without your vigilance, your effort, your expertise, this country will not be able to sleep safely at night. We have islands in the Essequibo River and three of those islands are bigger than the British Virgin Islands. We have wetlands in Canje and elsewhere. We have highlands, some covered with clouds, grasslands, you have lakes in the Essequibo, you’ve got rainforests, you’ve got rivers and rapids, but you, the soldiers of Guyana, have got to be able to operate all of those terrains by day or by night, whether the sun is shining or the rain is falling. That is why you must train rigorously and regularly and I never want to hear again that the GDF passed a training year or cycle without a major field tactical exercise,” he said.
Meanwhile, West said the lessons of the exercise must be utilised to further improve operational efficiency. “The GDF, as we continue to evolve, will continue to practice not only in this area but other areas to ensure that we build proficiencies in every area. We hope that the force can do total deployments in the close country operations and total deployments for internal security operations, which are exercises that are planned differently. As we build the model of exercises for future years, we will further expand our platoon company and battalion training with more emphasis placed on the operational skills of the soldier,” he was quoted as saying.
The statement noted that the exercise commenced on August 11, with the final contingent of troops moving into the exercise area, located in the jungle and savannahs of Tacama. Presidency photo) The exercise was designed to assess the troops in Close Country Warfare and Open Country Warfare simulations of battle. A similar exercise, ‘Homeguard,’ was conducted at the same location last year. It was noted that the exercises are part of the continuous training for GDF officers and ranks of the GDF, and are also designed to enable them to test theories and develop new strategies related to how warfare can best be executed.
The GDF is currently engaged in two major operations: ‘Operation AXEL,’ (Ministry of the
which is focused on border deployment and protection, and ‘Operation Clean sweep,’ which is aimed at recapturing the four prison escapees still on the run.