GDF Corporal travelling to India for bandsmen course

Corporal Deron Jermin Harvey of the Guyana Defence Force (GDF), has been selected for the Young Bandsmen Course at Army Education Corps Training College and Centre, in Pachmarhi, India.

This announcement was made by the High Commission of India on Saturday.
Harvey, who joined the GDF in 2014 and is now part of the Band Corps of the Army Military Band, will be embarking on the course from August 10, 2022, to June 20, 2023. This is part of the ITEC Defence courses which are designed for Friendly Armed Forces across the world by the Indian Ministry of Defence.
During his courtesy call on the High Commissioner of India, Dr KJ Srinivasa congratulated and briefed Corporal Harvey on the course and the ongoing collaboration between the GDF and Indian armed forces on training.
India and Guyana’s partnership across various sectors now includes a strong collaboration in defence training also.
In early 2021, the Government of India announced 19 defence training slots for the Guyana Defence Force under its Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC) programme. These training slots include 10 Army Courses, 4 Naval Courses and 5 Air Force Courses. These courses of different durations – three to six months – are spread over multiple months that are being conducted in different time periods during the 2021-2022 cycle.
This is the first time that Guyana has had access to these military training programmes. Under ITEC programme, the Government of India covers all expenses related to this training and provides the trainees with their return air ticket, accommodation charges, tuition fee, living expenses, medical expenses, and external and internal tours as per the course curriculum.
Corporal Harvey is the 15th recipient of the training scholarship. Currently, 11 GDF officers have completed their training and three are currently in India under training. For the 2022-2023 cycle, India has offered 38 slots for the GDF.
“India extends defence cooperation to a number of countries where the armed forces work together to achieve mutual aims and objectives, to assist them to strengthen their institutions in relation to security, to strengthen security systems in the context of continued threats of territorial incursion and terrorism, to provide training in various military skills, including combat, marksmanship, emergency medical evacuation, search-and-rescue and recovery responses, etc,” the High Commission penned.
The broad objectives of Indian defence cooperation include the promotion of intra and extra-regional peace and stability through dialogue and cooperation in the field of defence and security.
It also encourages sharing of operational and doctrinal expertise, training and capability enhancement, strengthening of ties with other countries and sharing of military technologies. Such cooperation allows for the examination and imbuing of best practices, creates the ability to operate alongside and enhances maritime domain awareness.