The silent powerhouse that’s ramped up military spending by 800% and isn’t slowing down: “Expanded training and defense programs”
Guyana has made a major military investment, boosting defense spending by 800%, according to defense news outlet InfoDefensa.
The country’s Chief of Defense Staff, Brigadier Omar Khan, stated that Guyana has increased its military spending by 800% over the past five years. That investment is being used to acquire new weapons and equipment to bolster branches like the Coast Guard and the Air Corps.
For 2025, the military budget reaches 50.4 billion Guyanese dollars, which is equivalent to over $250 million USD. “We are being strategic, we are being smart, and we are being decisive,” Khan said on the program Safeguarding Our Nation. The spending increase is tied closely to Guyana’s ongoing territorial dispute with Venezuela over the region of Essequibo.
In this dispute, Guyana has received support from several Western powers that have backed its sovereignty over the contested territory. One of those countries is the United Kingdom, which signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Guyana to strengthen bilateral defense cooperation.
As a show of military support, the UK deployed the HMS Trent to Guyanese waters two years ago. Among the newly acquired equipment, according to InfoDefensa, are vessels like the 115 Defiant patrol boat and several light transport aircraft.
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