Former Coast Guard Commandant Says Coast Guard Succession Plan Two Years in the Making

Earlier this week, former Commandant, Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, spoke with Love News indicating that the succession plan was in the making for the past two years.  Here is how that plan was carried out, according to Bennett.

Elton Bennett, CEO, Ministry of Home Affairs: “So our succession plan in the Belize Coast Guard runs deep. It’s a huge part of leadership to ensure that the succession planning for your office is considered but also in the Coast Guard we go very deep. One level, two levels down. You would have noticed that over the past year, my vice-commandant, Captain Soberanis went away for studies at the National Defense University in the United States. That’s all a part of such success and planning. Our senior officers all went overseas over the past year to the United Kingdom, to Mexico, and in Taiwan prior to that. So we prepare not only for the immediate replacement, but also we look two or three levels down at a time to ensure that the different officers are very well-prepared for their future assignments. So the Vice-Commandant, Captain Soberanis, has been tasked to lead the police Coast Guard up until the appointment of the new Commandant. That appointment will be made by the Ministry of National Defence and Border Security. My responsibility over the past few years was to prepare a leadership team, and I did my utmost best to ensure that when the time comes for me to leave, that the Coast Guard would be in very good hands. And I believe that we were able to accomplish that. Our succession planning considered all of these specialist assignments with a heavy emphasis on leadership. So that’s one thing that I’m very comfortable doing walking away from the Coast Guard knowing that the leadership team has been prepared.”

Rear Admiral Bennett took over the post of CEO for the Ministry of Home Affairs and Enterprise on Monday, December 15.