The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is the military service of Guyana

Guyana

Guyana , officially the Co-operative Republic of Guyana, previously the colony of British Guiana, is a sovereign state on the northern coast of South America that is culturally part of the Anglophone Caribbean. Guyana was a former colony of the Dutch and of the British...

.

History

The GDF was formed on November 1, 1965. Members of the new Defence Force were drawn from the British Guiana Volunteer Force (BGVF), Special Service Unit (SSU), British Guiana Police Force BGPF and civilians. Training assistance was provided by British

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

 instructors.

The GDF is an integral part of the Guyanese nation. Resources and equipment of the GDF are used to help other Guyanese, examples include medical mercy flights and the construction of roads and airstrips by the Engineering Corps.

Enlistment into the Force is voluntary

Voluntary

Voluntary may refer to:* Voluntary * Voluntary or volunteer, person participating via volunteering/volunteerism- See also :* Voluntary action* Voluntariness, in law and philosophy* Voluntaryism, rejection of coercion...

 for officer

Officer (armed forces)

An officer is a member of an armed force or uniformed service who holds a position of authority. Commissioned officers derive authority directly from a sovereign power and, as such, hold a commission charging them with the duties and responsibilities of a specific office or position...

s and soldier

Soldier

A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...

s. Basic training is done within GDF training schools, which has also trained officers and soldiers from Commonwealth

Commonwealth of Nations

The Commonwealth of Nations, normally referred to as the Commonwealth and formerly known as the British Commonwealth, is an intergovernmental organisation of fifty-four independent member states...

 Caribbean

Caribbean

The Caribbean is a crescent-shaped group of islands more than 2,000 miles long separating the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean Sea, to the west and south, from the Atlantic Ocean, to the east and north...

 territories. However, Officers are trained at two of the world-renowned British officer training schools: Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

Royal Military Academy Sandhurst

The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst , commonly known simply as Sandhurst, is a British Army officer initial training centre located in Sandhurst, Berkshire, England...

 (Infantry Training) and Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College

Britannia Royal Naval College is the initial officer training establishment of the Royal Navy, located on a hill overlooking Dartmouth, Devon, England. While Royal Naval officer training has taken place in the town since 1863, the buildings which are seen today were only finished in 1905, and...

 (Coast Guard Training).

The training and skills gained by the members of the GDF have been used when they move either into civilian life or into the sister military organizations, the Guyana People's Militia (now the Second Infantry Battalion Group Reserve) and the Guyana National Service.

Role of the GDF

• Defend the territorial integrity
  Territorial integrity
  Territorial integrity is the principle under international law that nation-states should not attempt to promote secessionist movements or to promote border changes in other nation-states...
  
   of Guyana.
• Assist the civil power in the maintenance of law and order when required to do so.
• Contribute to the economic development of Guyana.

Organization

• 1st Infantry Battalion group
• 2nd Infantry Battalion group (Reserve)
• 1 Special Forces Company
• 1 Support Weapons Company
• 21st Artillery Company
• Engineer Battalion
• 41st Construction Company
• 42nd FD Company
• 43rd EME Company
• Signals
• Headquarters
• Defense Communication Center
• Signal Center and Switchboard
• Technical Workshop
• School of Signals
• Technical Stores
• Military Band

Infantry Weapons

• Type 63 assault rifle Mainland China
• Type 56 Mainland China
• AKM
  AKM
  The AKM is a 7.62mm assault rifle designed by Mikhail Kalashnikov. It is an upgraded version of the AK-47 rifle and was developed in the 1950s....
  
  
  
• Colt
  Colt
  -Firearms company and related:*Colt's Manufacturing Company, an American firearm company*Samuel Colt , its founder*Colt revolver, a firearm made by the company*Colt 45 , various meanings stemming from usage as the name of a firearm...
  
   M16
  M16
  M16 or M-16 may refer to:Firearms and military equipment* M16 rifle, a United States military rifle* M16 mine, a United States landmine* Grigorovich M-16, a Russian World War I-era biplane flying boat* Stahlhelm, a German World War I helmet...
  
  A-2 AR
• Heckler & Koch G3
  Heckler & Koch G3
  The G3 is a 7.62mm battle rifle developed in the 1950s by the German armament manufacturer Heckler & Koch GmbH in collaboration with the Spanish state-owned design and development agency CETME ....
  
  
  
• FN MAG
  FN MAG
  The FN MAG is a Belgian 7.62 mm general-purpose machine gun, designed in the early 1950s at Fabrique Nationale by Ernest Vervier. It has been used by more than 80 countries, and it has been made under licence in countries such as Argentina, Egypt, India, Singapore, the United Kingdom and the...
  
   LMG  Belgium
• RPG-7
  RPG-7
  The RPG-7 is a widely-produced, portable, unguided, shoulder-launched, anti-tank rocket-propelled grenade launcher. Originally the RPG-7 and its predecessor, the RPG-2, were designed by the Soviet Union, and now manufactured by the Bazalt company...
  
  
• AK 47
• Walther PPK 

Armored vehicles

• 4 Shorland S52 4x4 APCs
• 6 EE-9 Cascavel
  EE-9 Cascavel
  The EE-9 Cascavel is a 6 x 6 armoured car developed in the 1970s by Engesa of Brazil. It used as many commercially available parts as possible. It also shares many components with the EE-11 Urutu APC...
  
   90mm gun\6x6 ARV (reported)
• 12 EE-11 Urutu
  EE-11 Urutu
  The EE-11 Urutu is a 6x6 armored personnel carrier developed in the seventies by Engesa of Brazil. It used as many commercially available parts as possible. It also shares many components with the EE-9 Cascavel Armoured fighting vehicle. The suspension includes Engesa's Boomerang double-axle rear...
  
   6x6 AIFV\APCs (reported)
• 10 Ford F-350
  Ford F-Series
  The F-Series is a series of full-size pickup trucks from Ford Motor Company which has been sold continuously for over six decades. The most popular variant of the F-Series is the F-150...
  
    trucks

Artillery and Mortars

• 6 130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)
  130 mm towed field gun M1954 (M-46)
  The 130 mm towed field gun M-46 M1954 is a manually loaded, towed 130 mm artillery piece, manufactured in the Soviet Union in the 1950s. It was first observed by the west in 1954...
  
  
  
• 12 D-30 122mm towed howitzer  North Korea
• 18 M1938 mortar
  M1938 mortar
  The Soviet M1938 120-millimeter mortar was the first modern 120 mm mortar developed by any country, entering production in 1939. The Red Army made significant use of its heavy caliber by treating it as an artillery piece in World War II. The Germans were impressed by the weapon and adopted it...
  
   120mm
• 18 82mm M-43 mortar
• 12 L16 81mm Mortar
  L16 81mm Mortar
  The United Kingdom's L16 81 mm mortar is the standard mortar used by the British armed forces. It originated as a joint design by UK and Canada. The version produced and used by Australia is named the F2 81mm Mortar, whilst the version used by the U.S...
  
  
• 6 82mm Type 65/78 AT RCL Mainland China
• 6 Type 63 multiple rocket launcher
  Type 63 multiple rocket launcher
  The Type 63 multiple rocket launcher is a towed, 12-tube, 107mm rocket launcher produced by the People's Republic of China in the early 1960s, based on the Soviet BM-12 MRS and using similar rockets...
  
  107mm Mainland China
• 6 ZPU 14.5x4 AAG
• 18 Launchers\100 missilles SA-7 Grail MANPAD

Motto

The motto

Motto

A motto is a phrase meant to formally summarize the general motivation or intention of a social group or organization. A motto may be in any language, but Latin is the most used. The local language is usual in the mottoes of governments...

 of the Guyana Defence Force is "SERVICE".

Aircraft Inventory

The Defence force air wing was formed in 1968 and was then renamed the Guyana Defence force air command in 1973. Seven Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander were delivered over a five year period in the 1970s and then were supplemented by Short Skyvans series 3Ms in 1979. In 1986 3 Mil Mi-8 were delivered. The GDF operates two fixed-wing aircraft and four helicopter.
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Aircraft
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Origin
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Type
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Versions
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|In service
! style="text-align: left; background: #aacccc;"|Notes
|-----
| Bell 412

Bell 412

The Bell 412 is a utility helicopter manufactured by Bell Helicopter. It is a development of the Bell 212 model, the major difference being the composite four-blade main rotor.-Design and development:...

 || || Transport Helicopter || 412 || 1 || In service since 1984. |
|-----
| Bell 206

Bell 206

The Bell 206 is a family of two-bladed, single- or twin-engine helicopters, manufactured by Bell Helicopter at its Mirabel, Quebec plant. Originally developed as the Bell YOH-4 for the United States Army's Light Observation Helicopter program, the 206 failed to be selected...

 JetRanger || || Utility Helicopter || 206B || 2 || In service since 1976. |
|-----
| Harbin Y-12

Harbin Y-12

-See also:-Bibliography:* Taylor, John W R. . Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, Surrey, UK: Jane's Information Group, 1988. ISBN 07106-0867-5....

 Panda || || Utility Transport || Y-12 || 1 || In service since 2002. |
|-----
| RotorWay Exec 162F

RotorWay Exec 162F

-References:*Taylor, Michael J.H. . Brassey's World Aircraft & Systems Directory 1999/2000. London:Brassey's, 1999. ISBN 1 85753 245 7.*Jackson, Paul Jane's All the World's Aircraft 2008-2009. Coulsdon, Surrey, England:Jane's Information Group, 2008. ISBN 978 0 7106 28374-External links:***...

 || || Light Helicopter || 162F || 1 || In service since 2004. |
|-----
| Short Skyvan || || Utility Transport || SC-7 Skyvan 3M || 1 || In service since 1979. |

Former Aircraft

• Aerospatiale SA-319B Alouette III
  Aérospatiale Alouette III
  The Aérospatiale Alouette III is a single-engine, light utility helicopter developed by Sud Aviation. It was manufactured by Aérospatiale of France, and under licence by Hindustan Aeronautics Limited in India as Hal Chetak and Industria Aeronautică Română in Romania.The Alouette III is the...
  
   - Two helicopters, in service from 1975 to 1982.
• Beechcraft King Air 200
  Beechcraft Super King Air
  The Beechcraft Super King Air family is part of a line of twin-turboprop aircraft produced by the Beech Aircraft Corporation . The King Air line comprises a number of model series that fall into two families: the Model 90 series, Model 100 series , Model 200 series and Model 300 series...
  
   - One aircraft, in service from 1975 to 1992.
• Bell 212 - Three helicopters, in service from 1976 to 1994.
• Britten-Norman BN-2A Islander - Seven aircraft, in service from 1971 to 1998.
• Cessna 182J Skylane
  Cessna 182
  The Cessna 182 Skylane is an American four-seat, single-engine, light airplane, built by Cessna of Wichita, Kansas. It has the option of adding two child seats, installed in the baggage area....
  
   - One aircraft, in service from 1982 to 1994.
• Cessna U206G Stationair - One aircraft, in service from 1975 to 1995.
• Embraer EMB 110P Bandeirante
  Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
  The Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15-21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties...
  
   - One aircraft in service from 1984 to 1994.
• Helio H-295 Super Courier - Three aircraft, in service from 1968 to 1971.
• Mil Mi-8
  Mil Mi-8
  The Mil Mi-8 is a medium twin-turbine transport helicopter that can also act as a gunship. The Mi-8 is the world's most-produced helicopter, and is used by over 50 countries. Russia is the largest operator of the Mi-8/Mi-17 helicopter....
  
  Hip - Three helicopters, in service from 1985 to 1991.

Navy

The Guyana Defence Force Coast Guard is the naval component of the Guyana Defence Force.

• GDFS Essequibo Mine sweeper-River class (UK)
• 1 River patrol boats - 890 tons full load - commissioned 1985
• 4 T-44 patrol boats - 18 tons full load
• 1 Kimbala class LCU

External links

• http://www.fas.org/asmp/campaigns/smallarms/lainven.html