President Wavel Ramkalawan, Commander-in-Chief of the Seychelles Defence Force (SDF), welcomed four returning SDF officers today at State House following their successful overseas assignments.

The President expressed his gratitude for their service abroad, underscoring the significance of their contributions in enhancing Seychelles' global standing. "The experience you have gathered will certainly contribute to the reinforcement of the Seychelles Defence Force. Your specialization will enable the SDF to become a reputable force due to your knowledge and experience," he stated.

Major Jude Raoul, who served as Chief of Administration and Finance at the Eastern Africa Standby Force (EASF) headquarters in Addis Ababa, returned after a posting that began in November 2022. Captain Samuel King, formerly posted as Seychelles Senior National Representative (SNR) at the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) headquarters in Bahrain, fulfilled the role of Regional Coordination Officer for East Africa and South East Asia.

Lieutenant Connie Anthony, also abroad since 2022, held the position of Maritime Planning and Training Officer at the Africa Standby Force headquarters in Nairobi, overseeing maritime-related training for the EASF. Corporal Kenny Sultan, a certified National Maritime Law Enforcement Instructor with the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), recently returned after a one-month deployment to Haiti with the UNODC’s Global Maritime Crime Programme, alongside various UNODC-recommended training initiatives locally.

Also recognized, though absent, was Lieutenant Melina Crispin, currently representing Seychelles in an international volleyball competition. Lieutenant Crispin, posted at CMF headquarters in Bahrain in December 2023, has served as Maritime Security Enhancement Training (MSET) Planner within Combined Task Force 154, completing two critical exercises in Egypt and Bahrain, and recently assuming the role of SNR and Regional Coordinator Officer (RCO) for East Africa within the Key Leadership Engagement (KLE) section.

Reflecting on their postings, the officers described the experience as both challenging and empowering, expressing confidence that their expertise will enrich the SDF’s operational planning and execution capabilities.

Also present at the meeting were Brigadier Michael Rosette, Chief of Staff Jean Atala, and other senior SDF officials.