Joint regional partnership strengthened as Operation Zeus Atlantic 2026 concludes

The Guyana Defence Force (GDF), alongside regional and international partners concluded Operation ZEUS ATLANTIC 2026 with a closing ceremony held at the GDF Air Corps Hangar, Eugene F. Correia International Airport. The operation, which marked the third ZEUS mission hosted in Guyana since 2024, brought together participating states and agencies in a coordinated effort to strengthen regional cooperation and counter transnational organized crime across the hemisphere.

Other participating countries included Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica, Honduras, Suriname, and Colombia. While representatives of participating countries joined virtually, the ceremony was attended in person by Colonel General Staff, Colonel Kenlloyd Roberts, other Senior Officers of the Guyana Defence Force, and visiting representatives of the Colombian military.

The programme included a mass operational debrief, along with technical and operational presentations from representatives within the relevant command, safety, mission coordination, and operational control fields. The presentations provided insight into the execution of the operation, coordination efforts, operational outcomes, and lessons identified throughout the exercise.

Delivering the feature address, Chief of Defence Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan emphasized that the strength of Operation ZEUS lies not only in its operational achievements, but in the partnerships, trust, and cooperation developed among participating nations and agencies. He noted that transnational criminal organizations continue to adapt and exploit vulnerabilities across borders, making sustained regional collaboration and coordinated responses increasingly important.

Brigadier Khan stated that no nation can effectively confront these threats in isolation and stressed the need for continued intelligence sharing, interoperability, and synchronized operational planning among regional partners. He further noted that the operation demonstrated what is possible when participating nations and agencies work together with a shared commitment toward regional security and stability.

He also highlighted the strong partnership shared among participating regional forces, while giving particular recognition to the Colombian Aerospace Force for its continued support, professionalism, and commitment to regional security cooperation. Brigadier Khan reaffirmed Guyana’s commitment to the ZEUS initiative and its continued contribution toward collective hemispheric security efforts aimed at creating a safer and more secure region. In this regard, he alluded to Guyana’s growing role as a key regional security partner under the leadership of His Excellency Dr Mohamed Irfaan Ali, President of the Cooperative Republic of Guyana and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Operation ZEUS ATLANTIC 2026 forms part of a wider regional security framework involving forty-two states and twenty-three agencies working collaboratively to strengthen operational effectiveness, aerial surveillance coordination, intelligence sharing, and interdiction capabilities throughout the region. (GDF)