President Ramkalawan promotes and commissions SPDF officers |04 January 2021
The promoted and commissioned officers in a souvenir photograph with President Ramkalawan (Photo: Thomas Meriton)
During a brief ceremony held at State House on New Year’s Day, President and Commander-in-Chief of the Seychelles People’s Defence Forces (SPDF) Wavel Ramkalawan had the honour of commissioning eight cadet officers and promoting a further seven officers of the armed forces.
The eight cadet officers, commenced their Pre-commissioning course at the Seychelles Defence Academy on August 10, 2020, and have over the five months acquired the necessary skills, tools and knowledge to serve as commissioned officers.
The officers, namely, Cadet Officer Ryan Mussard, Cadet Officer Jonathan Rose, Cadet Officer Dylan Renaud, Cadet Officer Jean-Paul Suzette, Cadet Officer Jean-Yves Rose, Cadet Officer Daniel Sanguillon, Cadet Officer Archile Marimba, and Cadet Officer Alexander Stravens, pledged their oath of allegiance, as new officers of the Defence Forces, vowing to protect the laws, constitution and the nation.
They were commissioned to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant by the Commander-in-Chief.
Second Lieutenant Ryan Mussard was also recognised as best performer among his peers and was presented with the Sword of Honour for his exceptional performance.
“The recognition is not mine alone, but it is the work of a much larger team, comprising the instructors, other officers and the people in my life who have helped me to reach here today, and to get the sword of honour. It has come through a lot of sacrifice on my part and that of my family, which has brought me here thus far,” he said.
“My aspiration is for the defence forces to move forward and progress further. That we continue to modernise and for me to form part of the development,” Mr Mussard said.
In addition to the commissioning of the eight cadets, the President also had the honours of promoting and commissioning a further seven officers into new ranks. Military promotion represents a significant achievement in a service members’ career, serving as a testament to their commitment, mastery of duties and skills, and to the service member’s leadership capabilities.
During the ceremony, four young officers were promoted and three new officers commissioned. Ferdinand Payet was commissioned to the rank of Major, while Luc Fonseca was commissioned to the rank of Captain. Andy Mathieu was also commissioned to the rank of 2nd Lieutenant.
Two were promoted to the rank of Captain, namely Lieutenant Waren Andre and Lieutenant Gerard Wongpool, while 2nd Lieutenant Dave Renaud and 2nd Lieutenant Elvis Nourice were promoted to Lieutenant.
In his address, President and Commander-in-Chief Ramkalawan congratulated the SPDF Officers for their discipline and professionalism, exemplary traits that they should strive to uphold in moving the force forward.
“I want to congratulate all the officers. I see before me today, young men who are determined, and who are disciplined. I tell you today that I have great admiration for you, and the way you have reacted during the political transition, your role has been key. And you have shown the world that Seychelles has a disciplined force, a force whose loyalty lies with the state and not to any individual. And it is in this spirit that we want to force to develop. I am happy to see that today we have taken another step, we can grow in this direction and as your Commander-in-Chief, you can rest assured that I am here to give you all the encouragement, I will oversee that our force continues to attract more youths, so we can be a source of pride for the country,” President Ramkalawan stated.
Laura Pillay
