• Their Excellencies Sir James and Lady Carlisle;
• Ministers of Government and other Parliamentarians
• Members of the Clergy
• Members of the Diplomatic Corps
• Commander of the ABDF Colonel Trevor Thomas and Mrs. Thomas
• Commissioner of Police Ms. Delano Christopher
• National Security Advisor Mr. Alex Vanderpoole and Mrs. Vanderpoole
• Past Commanders of the ABDF and their spouses
• Deputy Commander of the ABDF Lieutenant Colonel Edward Croft and Mrs. Croft
• Unit Commanders and other Senior Officers of the ABDF and their wives
• Offficers, Warrant Officers, SNCO's, Enlisted Ranks, ABDF Civilian Staff and their respective spouses
• Members of the Ex-servicemen Association
• Distinguished guests
• Ladies and Gentlemen

Good Evening!

I bring greetings and congratulations to the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force from the Government of Antigua and Barbuda as you celebrate the remarkable achievement of twenty-five excellent years of service to the nation of Antigua and Barbuda.

The Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force is another significant feature on the lengthy list of reasons why we should be proud to be Antiguan and Barbudan.

The success of the army is demonstrated in the molding of the nation's young men and women into fine exemplars of discipline, respect for authority, courage and personal resilience. For this and the invaluable service the ABDF provides to our nation, we should be exceedingly proud.

With pride, my government applauds the army for its efforts in community development through the adoption of schools, its involvement in charitable construction projects, the assistance in the security of public institutions and the beautification of some of our landmarks.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

We all are aware of the perception of many in our nation that the army is only prepared to defend our nation in times of war or aggression.

There is one aspect of the ABDF that dispels this notion.

I refer to the ABDF's contribution to our nation's youth via the National Cadet Corps within our secondary schools. The young people benefit tremendously from the physical training and learning basic military skills and discipline.

The ABDF provides the corps with academic and technical guidance, imparts leadership skills, encouraging team work toward problem solving, involvement in adventure training, career guidance, lessons in morality and ethics, while promoting national service and patriotism.

Our young people are this nation's future; they must be physically and mentally prepared for it, in addition to possessing the right values to govern and make sound decisions.

The ABDF, on a daily basis tries to instill in our young people these principles.

It is the government's desire that as the ABDF grows, it will continue equipping and enabling our young people with requisite skills and inculcating values associated with leadership and interpersonal interaction, thereby molding our young people to contribute meaningfully in the development of Antigua and Barbuda.

Ladies and gentlemen, with this in mind, I will be sitting down very soon with the Commander of the ABDF, the Minister of Education and the country's Attorney General to examine the possibilities of making it compulsory for every first and second form student to be enlisted as members of the National Cadet Corps.

This course of direction, I believe, provides the opportunity for our young people to be molded into proud, disciplined citizens of Antigua and Barbuda.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

Commander Trevor Thomas this evening mentioned that one of the command's visions for the force is for the army to continue making meaningful contributions to government's foreign policy in matters relating to our regional and hemispheric security and stability operations.

The ability of the Force in this regard will be fully tested when the region hosts one of the world's largest sporting events in Cricket World Cup 2007.

The ABDF has an essential role in the security of the nation during the conduct of these matches. ABDF in conjunction with other security partners must ensure that Antigua and Barbuda maintains a secure environment for the players, officials, visitors, our citizens and residents during Cricket World Cup.

This will facilitate the anticipated economic benefits to be realized from the hosting of the games. It need not be mentioned the negative consequences that could potentially befall the region from a single incident at any of the host venues, or even worse, from an ill advised or disorganized response to an incident.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

The government is aware of ABDF's training, coordination and other aspects of preparation that have long since begun; and my government remains committed in providing the security forces with the necessities in personnel, equipment and training to achieve the given task.

This evening, I am pleased to announce that with the cooperation of the Government of Turkey, eight Turkish experts will arrive in Antigua and Barbuda later this month to carry out an extensive training programme with members of the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force and the Royal Antigua and Barbuda Police Force.

The areas to be covered during this training programme include:

• Counter Terrorism training;
• Bomb detection, disposal and Examination Specialization;
• Principles to counter mass demonstration and incidents; and
• Interrogation Interviews and deposition analysis

Working with our international partners in preparing for Cricket World Cup 2007 and beyond is a very important aspect of our security readiness.

By engaging our partners and stakeholders, we will be better able to develop coordinated plans to support the overall National Security and Law Enforcement Strategies that are required for Antigua and Barbuda and the region now and in the future.

Ladies and Gentlemen:

As the ABDF celebrates its Silver Jubilee, the Government commends the men and women of this fine institution for the many sacrifices in service made through your contributions to national and regional security and stability and community development.

I wish God's blessings on the men and women in the Antigua and Barbuda Defence Force and all those who serve.

May God bless our Nation and its people.

Thank You.