BELIZE CITY, Sat. Aug. 27, 2022

The Belize Defence Force will acquire 10 new troop-lifting vehicles as well as new computer systems to create an intranet operation through a BZD $3,005,328.16 disbursement allocated to the force. Two contracts were signed yesterday by the Ministry of Economic Development and the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security for this first disbursement under the Belize Integral Security Program (BISP), which is funded by the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) and was first approved in 2015.

During the signing, the CEO of the Ministry of Economic Development, Osmond Martinez, pointed to the negligence of the last administration, which left the fund dormant, and the need to redesign the program before it could have been reapproved.

“It is a historic day, because the Belize Integral Security Program funding was approved back in 2014, and the total of that funding is 60 million Belize dollars. It was approved in 2014, it was signed in 2015, and the first disbursement came in 2018, in September of 2018—a total of 3.8 million US dollars. When I came to the Ministry of Economic Development, I found that money sitting there, and I was surprised, nuh—3.8 million dollars sitting at the Central Bank of Belize,” CEO Martinez said.

He said that the program was first developed in 2010, but since then became outdated and had to be redesigned. This task of redesigning fell to the Ministry of Economic Development, and the proposals were eventually resubmitted to CABEI. In March of this year, for two days, a technical team for CABEI came to the country to do a reassessment of the needs of the participating agencies under the program, namely, the Belize Defence Force, the Police Department, the Belize Coast Guard, and the National Forensic Science Service.

In April of this year, the funding was once again approved.

CEO Martinez explained, “So in May, they asked us to move forward with the new, redesigned proposal, and why was it redesigned is because it is a 12-year-old proposal, so some of the proposed issues that were on that proposal were no longer needed.”

He added, “I want to also mention that we were about to lose the 60 million dollars. CABEI was about to pull those funds and to actually ask back for the first disbursement of 3.8 million dollars US.

He went on to state that the signing of this contract marks the seriousness of the government to get work done through the program. For the BDF, it means much-needed operational equipment and along with it a boost in morale. Former BDF Commander and now CEO of the the Ministry of National Defence, Dario Tapia, said that he has been relentlessly urging the ministry to roll out these funds.

“Being a former Commander of the Belize Defence Force, what’s coming under CABEI funds is desperately needed by the Belize Defence Force, be it the troop-lifting vehicles, be it the computers, be it the infrastructure—Belize Defence Force needs that and doesn’t need it tomorrow, they need it now, and so I am glad that we are taking this step today to be able to get those trucks and equipment to the Belize Defence Force, because, you know, when you have these tangible things that the soliders see, it boost morale. That’s the importance of it. I think it will even start to boost more morale when they start to do the infrastructural development,” CEO Tapia said.

Current Commander of the BDF, Brig. Gen. Azariel Loria, said that the disbursements come at a time when the force needs it the most.

“The BDF is the end user for the troop-listing capability – it comes at a time when we most need it. The current fleet that we have is aging, and we are in need of spare parts; if we get the vehicles, the sooner the better. It will definitely enhance the morale of the troops,” Commander Loria said.

A total of BZD$13,000,000 is allocated to the BDF under the BISP. Other program areas include the procurement of communication and medical equipment, construction and equipping of a kitchen at Price Barracks, a medical center at Fairweather Camp in Punta Gorda, and operations rooms at Camp Belizario in Cayo.

This program, which, as mentioned, will also benefit other security service sectors, is geared toward strengthening citizen security through investments in infrastructure and equipment for these public institutions responsible for national security.