00:00The Defence Force is on a recruitment drive as it also gets Cabinet approval to increase its retirement age.
00:06Defence Minister Wayne Sturge said recruitment was underway across the formations of the Defence Force
00:12and members will sue for a longer period.
00:16Minister Sturge made the announcements on Wednesday as the Standing Finance Committee
00:20examined the Ministry of Defence's proposed expenditure of $461,537,500
00:28for fiscal 2027.
00:31He said wage negotiations had been settled and members of the Defence Force
00:35would receive outstanding arrears shortly.
00:38Mr. Chairman, we are in the process of recruiting across all formations of the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force
00:45because there is a critical need for force expansion.
00:49Sturge said the expansion was necessary because of Trinidad and Tobago's strategic importance,
00:55including its membership in the Shield of the Americas
00:58and its geographical significance to the Counter Cartel Conference of the Americas.
01:03He also outlined plans to address problems with equipment and infrastructure within the Defence Force,
01:09including the Coast Guard.
01:11Mr. Chairman, the Cabinet has agreed to the raising of the retirement age for members of the Trinidad and Tobago
01:21Defence Force
01:22across all formations.
01:24We have settled wage negotiations and the men and women of the Defence Force
01:31would in short order see payment of arrears.
01:36The Minister also spoke to what the government found when it took office.
01:42When we came into office, Mr. Chairman, we met a Coast Guard whose assets were severely depleted
01:47and compromised with only two or three of our naval vessels operational
01:52and the weapons are fixed, non-functional.
01:56He also alleged that communication between the Coast Guard base at Cedros and the radar centre
02:02had been conducted through officers' personal mobile phones, compromising the force's response capabilities.
02:10Sturge said there had also been challenges affecting surveillance capabilities
02:14within the Air Guard and regiment formations.
02:17He also raised concerns about ammunition security.
02:21As you would recall, 28,000 wrongs have gone missing, presumed stolen, under the last administration.
02:32Sturge said the ministry had commenced audits and introduced systems to prevent further losses or theft of ammunition.
02:41The committee also examined plans to acquire new interceptors for the Coast Guard,
02:45with $2 million allocated for the purchase in fiscal 2027.
02:49Port of Spain North MP and former Prime Minister Stuart Young said the previous administration
02:56had begun a process with the United States government
02:59and signed an agreement with the U.S. Ex-Im Bank to finance the acquisition of interceptors.
03:06Asked whether the Coast Guard had acquired any new interceptors, Sturge replied.
03:12No.
03:14Sturge declined to disclose how many interceptors were expected to be acquired for the $2 million allocation,
03:20saying he did not believe it was in the public's interest to provide that information.
03:27Alexander Bruzzol, TV6 News.
03:29That story takes us to tonight's PeopleMeter.
03:31We ask, do you agree with the decision to increase the size of the defense force?
03:37To vote, text yes or no to the number 766-4886 or 766-4TV6.
03:43We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:46We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:46We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:47We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:47We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
03:47We'll have the results for you at the end of this newscast.
