Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces President Dr. Irfaan Ali moments ago promoted Colonel Omar Khan to the rank of Brigadier and presented him with his instrument of appointment to perform the functions of Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF).
The ceremony, which took place at the Office of the President, also saw President Ali confirming Brigadier Godfrey Bess as the 11th Chief of Staff of the Guyana Defence Force.
The Defence Act [at Section 169] empowers the President to appoint an officer to command the Defence Force where it states: “The President shall appoint an officer, being a member of the Force, in whom command of the Force shall be vested and, subject to the terms of such appointment, such officer shall have command of that Force.”
The appointment was made in keeping with the Head of State exercising his powers as minister of Defence vested within the Defence Act.
Brigadier Bess officially hands over command to Brigadier Khan during a change of command parade tomorrow.
The 51-year-old Khan, who has over 30 years of service in the GDF, currently heads the National Intelligence and Security Agency (NISA).
Khan took over as the Head of NISA when his predecessor, Bruce Lovell, resigned shortly after the change of Government in 2020.
