On Tuesday 15th September, 2015, the staff at the Ministry of Public Utilities welcomed our new Minister, the Honourable Brigadier General, Ancil W. Antoine (Ret'd).

Brigadier General Ancil Wayne Antoine enlisted in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force (Regiment) in 1973. In 1975, he was granted a commission into the Officer Corps and on the 18^th of August 1976 he graduated from the Canadian Infantry Officers Training Course.

He was appointed Commanding Officer of the First CARICOM Battalion in 1994, a unit comprising troops of seven CARICOM nations as part of the Multi National Force in Operation Uphold Democracy in Haiti.  And while on that assignment, he was promoted to the rank of Lieutenant Colonel.

He was then promoted to the rank of Colonel on the 14^th of October 2000 and appointed Vice Chief of Defence Staff in the Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force. On the 26th of January 2002 Colonel Antoine was promoted to the rank of Brigadier and was appointed Chief of Defence Staff, Trinidad and Tobago Defence Force.

Four years after, on the 22^nd of  June 2006, Brigadier Antoine was elected as the First Director General of the Inter American Defense Board and served in this capacity until his retirement in July 2011.

Retired Brigadier Antoine is a highly decorated officer, receiving a total of nine medals during his thirty-eight year military career.

During that career, Brigadier Antoine attended several courses locally, regionally and  internationally, that served to enhance his knowledge and experiences in the military environment. He holds a Certificate in Public Administration and a Bachelor of Arts in History from the University of the West Indies, along with a Diploma in Military Arts & Sciences and a Masters in Military Arts & Sciences from the Command and General Staff Course in Leavenworth, Kansas. He is currently enrolled at the University of the West Indies, pursuing a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in the field of History.