info@ndi.edu.gy

About NDI

Overview of the Institute

The President and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana, Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, on August 31,2023, announced the establishment of a defence institute within the Guyana Defence Force (GDF). In establishing this Institute, the Government of Guyana is taking steps to ensure that joint services officers and their civilian counterparts receive essential training that will enable them to execute their mandate effectively in Guyana’s contemporary security environment.

The Government is establishing the defence institute at a time when Guyana faces multiple traditional and emerging threats and opportunities, all evolving against the backdrop of rapidly increasing sovereign wealth. Threats include the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela’s claim to the Essequibo region, illegal migration, and transnational organised crime. Opportunities include the diversification of the economy, a burgeoning natural resources sector, increased foreign direct investment, and the expansion of regional and international engagements and partnerships.

The benefits of establishing the Institute in this strategic environment will be far reaching. The professionals trained at the institute will make up a cadre of diligent decision-makers skilled in navigating the intricacies of national defence and security. The policies and strategies they develop, and implement will set the stage for sustainable programmes that will, in turn, create an environment conducive to national development. The success envisioned will position Guyana as a strategic influencer in regional and global relations.

Vision

To be a leading academic institution in defence, security, and development studies in Guyana and the Americas.

Mission

To educate joint services officers and their civilian counterparts using a defence, security, and development-focused curriculum delivered in a civil-military context, better equipping them to assume mid- to senior-level operational and strategic roles within their parent organizations

Goals

In support of its mission and vision, the goals of the National Defence Institute are to:

  1. Promote excellence in defence, security, and development education in Guyana and the Americas.
  2. Promote civil-military approaches to address shared security interests in Guyana and the Americas.
  3. Develop professional networks to address shared security interests in Guyana and the Americas.

Objectives

To achieve its goals, and to build comprehensive defence capabilities that are strategically relevant, adaptive, and agile, NDI will operate with the following objectives:

  1. Provide training programmes, using an andragogical approach, that are relevant to the participants’ strategic environment.
  2. Sustain a defence, security, and development research programme that significantly contributes to scholarship and fosters innovation in tackling current and future problems.
  3. Utilise a civil-military approach to teaching and analysing defence policies and strategies.
  4. Increase public awareness and understanding of defence, security, and development issues and their relevance to national security.
  5. Build strong partnerships with regional and international defence institutions.
  6. Sustain an active alumni network that ensures collaboration persists beyond the student’s time at the institute.