Chief of Defence Staff (Guyana) explained

The Chief of Defence Staff is the professional head of the Guyana Defence Force. He is responsible for the administration and the operational control of the military of Guyana. The current Chief of Defence Staff is Brigadier Omar Khan.

The office was officially known as the 'Chief of Staff' until 2024 when the Defence (Amendment) Act 2024 was passed giving effect to the new name of the office.

List of officeholders

Chief of Staff (1967–2024)

	Portrait	Name	Term of office
			Took office	Left office	Time in office
1		Colonel Ronald Pope	May 1967	March 1969		[1]
2		Brigadier Clarence Price	March 1969	12 July 1979		[2]
3		Major general Norman Gordon Mc Lean	12 July 1979	March 1990		[3]
4		Major general Joseph Singh	March 1990	April 2000		[4]
5		Major general Michael Atherly	April 2000	31 May 2004		[5] [6]
6		Major general Edward Orin Collins	31 May 2004	2007	years	[7]
7		Rear admiral Gary Best	September 2007	16 September 2013		[8]
8		Brigadier Mark Phillips	16 September 2013	3 October 2016		[9]
9		Brigadier George Lewis	3 October 2016	10 January 2017		[10] [11]
10		Brigadier Patrick West	10 January 2017	1 July 2020		[12] [13]
–		Brigadier Godfrey Bess	1 July 2020	4 March 2021		[14] [15]
11			4 March 2021	28 April 2023
12		Brigadier Omar Khan	28 April 2023	24 May 2024		[16]

Chief of Defence Staff (2024–present)

See also

• Guyana Defence Force

Notes and References

1. Web site: Colonel Ronald Pope . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204154132/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/colonel-ronald-pope.html . 4 February 2019.
2. Web site: Brigadier Clarence Price . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204154126/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/brigadier-clarence-price.html . 4 February 2019.
3. Web site: Major General Norman Gordon Mc Lean . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204161027/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/major-general-norman-mc-lean.html . 4 February 2019.
4. Web site: Major General Joseph Singh, MSS . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190131194817/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/major-general-joseph-singh.html . 31 January 2019.
5. Web site: Major General Michael Atherly, MSS . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204161941/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/major-general-michael-atherly.html. 4 February 2019.
6. Web site: 2008-11-28 . Former Chief-of-Staff honoured at special dinner . 2022-12-14 . Kaieteur News . en-US.
7. News: Naipaul . Chamanlall . Former Chief of Staff calls for new national security strategy . 29 May 2021 . landofsixpeoples.com . Guyana Chronicle . 1 June 2004.
8. Web site: Staff Writer . Promoted to Rear Admiral – Gary Best departing a military that is set for transformation . 29 May 2021 . dpi.gov.gy . 23 June 2014.
9. Web site: Brigadier Mark Phillips . gdf.mil.gy . Guyana Defence Force . 29 May 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20190204155625/http://www.gdf.mil.gy/index.php/chief-of-staff/past-chiefs-of-staff/brigadier-mark-phillips.html . 4 February 2019.
10. Web site: George Lewis promoted to rank of Brigadier, sworn in as GDF Chief of Staff . op.gov.gy . Office of the President . 29 May 2021 . 3 October 2016.
11. Web site: October 2, 2016 . I'm ready to lead . 2022-12-14 . Guyana Chronicle . en-US.
12. News: Brigadier Patrick West is new army Chief of Staff . 29 May 2021 . stabroeknews.com . 11 January 2017.
13. Web site: 2017-01-11 . Brigadier Patrick West is new army Chief of Staff . 2022-12-14 . Stabroek News . en-us.
14. Web site: Staff Writer . Colonel Bess appointed Chief of Staff (ag) . 29 May 2021 . dpi.gov.gy . 30 June 2020.
15. News: Staff Reporter . Bess takes charge of GDF . 29 May 2021 . guyanachronicle.com . 5 March 2021.
16. Web site: Colonel Khan promoted to Brigadier, appointed new Army Chief of Staff - Guyana Chronicle .
17. https://officialgazette.gov.gy/images/gazette2024/may/Extra_24MAY2024Act8of2024.pdf