Overnight military shake-up

THAT a military shake-up was coming was foretold in September when Minister of Defence Wayne Sturge described the country’s bases as being worse than prison, lamented soldiers were wearing tattered uniforms after years of alleged PNM neglect and outlined reports of upper ranks living “like lords,” while ordinary officers pay for their own meals.

“This will be remedied in the coming weeks,” Mr Sturge said then.

But the overnight nature of the dismissal of Air Vice Marshal Darryl Daniel and appointment of Captain Don Polo as Chief of Defence Staff still rightly raises eyebrows.

According to a media release issued by Mr Sturge’s ministry, instruments were served on both officials at Temple Court “shortly after 8 pm” on October 7. The release referred to the outgoing leader having had an “eight-year stint,” but it seems it was six. Section 191 of the Defence Act outlines the process of appointment to the top post, yet the ministry referred to section 12, which deals with promotions, in a possible sign that Capt Polo has been elevated to a higher rank, such as commodore, to fill the post. The outgoing leader’s tenure had been expected to expire in only six months.

Such details contrast with the picture of the military as an ordered entity. They do not gel fully with the assuredness of the minister’s own pledge to usher in change and the ministry’s claim this week that the adjustments came “after lengthy deliberations and mature consideration.” Memory of the still unexplained circumstances of August’s abrupt regiment leadership shake-up, which was rescinded within less than 24 hours after being first publicised in this newspaper, is fresh.

Be that as it may, the installation of a new chief of defence staff sends a bold and clear signal. It completes the reconstitution of the Defence Council, which has responsibility for the command and administration of military matters and includes the minister, the chief of defence staff and the line ministry’s permanent secretary. A new PS was appointed in June.

The chief of defence staff performs a crucial role. The post-holder oversees the Defence Force, which comprises thousands and stands as one of the largest forces in the English-speaking Caribbean. Its mission involves both the defence of national sovereignty and the support of regional objectives. For instance, it is central to disaster response, something that is only likely to increase in a time of climate crisis. But it is the state of emergency – triggered to a degree by the alarming disappearance of close to 28,000 rounds of ammunition; only this month has it emerged that a charge has been laid – and the tension between the US and Venezuela that loom most heavily over this shift.