By Jarryl BryanThree days after news of Venezuela’s gunboats entering the Cuyuni River made headlines, Chief of Staff Brigadier Mark Phillips has made it clear that the Guyana Defense Force (GDF) stands ready to ‘define aggression’ and if necessary, defend Guyana.However, he revealed that there has been no increase in troops on the Venezuelan side.This was conveyed during a series of exercises at Base Camp Stevenson, Timerhi, yesterday. These exercises were aimed at preparing GDF troops for all possible circumstances, in addition to showcasing the army’s current strength.Troops, including Special Forces, participated in battle and parachuting displays, with tactical naval maneuvers scheduled for today.Phillips, during his address to his troops,Wholesale Jerseys Free Shipping, sought to emphasize that Guyana was at the stage of ‘defining aggression’ i.e. closely monitoring Venezuelan troop movements for aggressive intent. He also expressed confidence in the GDF’s ability to fulfill its mandate.“We have a border (issue), settled in 1899. Therefore we have to define aggression. The Cuyuni River is inclusive of Guyana’s border with Venezuela. It belongs to us. It is important that we not only monitor acts of incursion on the land, but also the rivers,” he said.“We are ready to defend Guyana and to define acts of aggression against Guyana,” the Army commander said. “That is the role of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). We will march around town and that will further demonstrate to the people that we are ready.”According to Brig. Phillips, the mobilization exercise he personally oversaw would not be the only one. He noted that troop mobilization was ongoing all around the country.“Troops came out in large numbers for these exercises,” Phillips said. “This is demonstrative of our professionalism and service to Guyana.”Kaieteur News, on the ground at Camp Stevenson, was able to witness paratroopers making their jumps. The troops were both Special Forces and a sprinkling of trainees. They executed static line and low altitude jumps from a SC7 Skyvan.However, a senior Army official revealed that free style jumps during the night will also be employed in training.This training, according to Jump Commander Paul Singh, was to prepare troops for infiltration/insertions behind enemy lines.Asked to rate whether today’s exercise was a good one,Cheap Jerseys, the Special Forces-trained commando noted that there were no injuries. Kaieteur News understands that fractures can easily occur during a faulty landing- the jump could be considered a good one.Brig. Phillips also spoke of building up the Air Corps, an undertaking that will be no mean feat. According to the Brigadier,Wholesale Authentic Jerseys, development of air support calls for analyses to be completed.“We are working with the Defence Board to develop the Air Corps over the next five years. We are going to look at the tasks of the Air Corps and those analyses will guide the development of the Air Corps.“We are not going to look at what our neighbour is buying,” he said.It had previously been reported that Venezuela had purchased warplanes for its military from Russia.This publication also encountered an animated group of soldiers, all of whom seemed brimful of confidence and excitement. They were the female soldiers.They were all prepared to fight if need be, despite the challenges they would have faced in reaching to where they are. They also sent a message to the Guyanese public, urging citizens not to be afraid.Venezuela’s deployment of some 200 military troops along the border with Guyana, and boats armed with missiles in the Cuyuni River has caused Guyana to heighten its state of alert along the country’s border with the Spanish-speaking country.GDF has observation posts located at Eteringbang, as well as several along the Cuyuni River. In addition, the GDF is continuing its surveillance of the Venezuela’s activities.President David Granger also held the first of a series of bilateral meetings with visiting Heads of Government on Thursday, participating in the 70th United Nations General Assembly in New York, when he held talks with Prime Minister of India, Narendra Modi.Granger had noted that for the first time in the life of the controversy not only are there Venezuelan gunboats in Guyana’s waters, but that Venezuela attempted to appropriate a huge area of Guyana’s sea space,Cheap Nike NFL Jerseys, where petroleum exploration is taking place.Granger also pointed out that over the past week,NFL Jerseys Online, there has been a gradual build up of armed forces on Guyana’s western frontier, including the deployment of tanks, missiles and an increase in the number of troops near the Cuyuni River.The President, while expressing a willingness to meet Venezuela’s President Nicholas Maduro at a meeting organized by United Secretary General Ban Ki Moon, had also said that the matter should go to the International Court of Justice.This is after the UN Good Officers process, a way to settle the dispute by mediating,Cheap Jerseys Paypal, failed to resolve anything.Granger reiterated that the Venezuelan claim is not only hampering Guyana’s economic development and exploitation of natural resources, such as petroleum, but it is also becoming aggressive.The Caribbean Community (CARICOM), the Commonwealth and Colombia have already criticized Venezuela’s bellicose actions.
