BDF Media Operations Course
BDF Media Release| 17 Jan 20
Photography credit: Corporal Maynard D
The Barbados Defence Force in partnership with the United Kingdom’s Ministry of Defence conducted a Media Operations Course. The course was held at the Hodgson Hall Conference Room, St Ann’s Fort the Garrison and facilitate by Colonel (retired) Ronald McCourt.
The course was comprising of 20 participants including personnel from the Barbados Fire Service and Regional Security System, was focused towards equipping these strategic media operators with the skills and tools needed to achieve command intent. It is further envisaged that these skills would be employed when communicating both in Barracks and during operations.
The course was timetabled to include presentations, exercises and visits to media facilities such radio and television stations. They participants also received one – on – one tutorials with local journalists. This will equip them with methods of media interaction as a spokesperson, while enabling them to justify key messaging advice to members of command.
The Barbados Defence Force and the UK Ministry of Defence sees this opportunity to shape interagency relations, where the methods of media operations and engagements can be streamlined to meet optimum strategic success.
Highlights
Commodore (Cdre) Errington Ricardo Shurland was appointed Chief of Staff of the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 1 September 2021. He enlisted in the BDF in February 1984 and in a military career spanning over 34 years, has served in various operational and administrative appointments.
Colonel Glyne Grannum joined the Barbados Defence Force (BDF) on 18 October 1985 and underwent career development training at the Canadian Forces Officer Candidate School, Chilliwack and the Combat Training Centre, Gagetown New Brunswick, Canada. He subsequently attended the Infantry Training Centre and the Signal Wing in Warminster, UK (PCBC and RSO Courses respectively), the International Institute of Humanitarian Law in San Remo, Italy; the Lester Pearson Canadian Peacekeeping Centre, the Canadian Land Forces Command and Staff College, Kingston, the Canadian Forces Command and Staff College, Toronto, the National Defence University of the People’s Liberation Army People’s Republic of China and the Centre for Hemispheric Defence Studies, National Defence University, Washington. He also attended a Defence Resources Management programme at National Defence Headquarters, Ottawa, Canada. In addition to being a qualified infantry officer, Col Grannum is a qualified Regimental Signals Officer and a former Operations Officer and Finance Officer of the BDF.
Colonel Banfield joined the Barbados Battalion of the South Caribbean Force in 1941 having just left the Cadet Corps at Combermere School, and was granted a commission as a Second Lieutenant in 1942. He was a Platoon Commander and a Company Commander during the war and served in Barbados, Dominica (as part of the Gale Force), St Lucia and St Vincent.
Warrant Officer Class 1 Colin Marshall is a graduate of the St Michael, and was born on the 5 November 1969 and enlisted in the Barbados Defence Force on 16 August 1994. He was promoted to the rank of Lance Corporal in August 1997, Corporal in 1999, Sergeant in 2007, Color Sergeant in 2014, Warrant Officer Class Two in 2017 and Warrant Officer Class One in 2020. He was Most Outstanding Student on Junior Leadership Course in 1998, the Most Outstanding Student on Junior Non Commissioned Officer Cadre in Jamaica in 2000, best at Leadership on the Search Adviser Course in Jamaica in 2007 and the Most Outstanding Student on the Warrant Officer Course in Jamaica in 2015.
