Coast Guard Adding More to Its Numbers

The last time the Belize Coast Guard enlisted new recruits was four years ago.  On December first, the BCG will add sixty new sailors to its rank and file after they successfully complete their training. Rear Admiral Elton Bennett tells reporters that the recruits have been in training for the past three months, and not only that, but that next year, there is already approval for another intake for the coast guard. And the numbers are expected to remain the same for at least another fifteen years when quite a few of the members will have reached the retirement age of fifty-five.

Elton Bennett

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“We currently have recruits in training. They’ve been in training for over three months now. They are scheduled to graduate on the first of December. So we currently have sixty recruits in training. Next financial year, we’ve already received confirmation that yes, there will be budgetary allocations for us to have another recruiting intake, so I’m happy that the Coast Guard will be growing, not only with capabilities but also with human resources. We don’t suffer from attrition as much as other forces. We have not reached that retirement age in the Coast Guard where you have a good portion of the recruiting intake retiring. That will not happen until the next fifteen years, where we’ll have a full portion of the recruiting intake reaching that mandatory retirement age of 55.”