Profile of Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay

Lieutenant General Peter Augustine Blay has had varied experiences in different fields. These include training in negotiation techniques at Kampon Cham, in Cambodia organised by the United Nations Transitional Authority in Cambodia (UNT AC) and training for military and civilian police trainers in peacekeeping and human rights in Italy (May-June 1996). He also attended a course for consultation experts in human rights for members of armed forces in Geneva as well as a peacekeeping training course organised by the UN Department of Peacekeeping Operations (UNDPKO) in Accra (1997). Lieutenant General Blay has held various position (both at command and staff levels). At home, he has served in 1, 2,3,4,5 and 6 Infantry Battalions, Jungle Warfare School, former Headquarters I Infantry Brigade Group, Army Combat Training School, Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College, Army Headquarters and General headquarters. Among the appointment he has held are Aide-de-Camp to the Border Guard/Army Commander in 1974-76, Staff Captain Administration at HQ 1 Infantry Brigade Group (1979), Company Commander at 6 Battalion of Infantry (1980-82), Chief Tactical Officer at the School of Infantry (now Army Combat Training School) (1985-86) and Assistant Director Military Training at Force Headquarters (now General Headquarters) from (1986-87). Others are second in Command and Rear Commander at First Battalion of Infantry (1988), Commanding Officer Jungle Warfare School (1990-92) after acting for nearly nine months, Directing Staff at the Ghana Armed Forces Command and Staff College Senior Division (1993-96), Chief Instructor and later Commanding Officer of the Army Combat Training School (1996-1998) and Director Army Training and Acting Chief Staff Officer both at the Army Headquarters. Lieutenant General Blay was also Director international Peace Support Operations (1989), Director Research and Development at the Department of Plans and Development (2000), Director General Personnel Administration (2002-2005) and Acting Chief of Staff (2005-2006), all at the General Headquarters of the Ghana Armed Forces. From November 2000-May 2002, he served as Africa�s Senior Military Representative to the Military Coordination Commission for the United Nations Missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea as well as Head of the Union Liaison Missions in Ethiopia and Eritrea. From 2006-2009, Lieutenant General Blay, was the Defence Advisor at the Ghana High Commission in Abuja, Nigeria, the last appointment he held prior to assuming duty as Chief of the Defence Staff on 31 March 2009. Lieutenant General Blay also had experience in several peacekeeping missions including serving as the Defence Platoon Commander and Operations Officer of the Ghana Battalion in the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) (1979-1980), Staff Officer Information at UNIFIL HQ (1982-1983), Personal Staff Officer to the Chief of Staff at UNIFIL HQ (1987-1988) and Military Observer at the UN Transitional Authority in Cambodia, from 1992-93. He is married and has two children. His hobbies include jogging, gardening and playing table tennis.