Women are Leading the Charge at the Belize Coast Guard

Women are making waves at the Belize Coast Guard, breaking barriers and shattering expectations in a field traditionally dominated by men. Alma Pinelo, a true trailblazer, has climbed the ranks to become the first female Acting Vice Commandant in the force’s history. As we explore the progress and the challenges that remain, Sabreena Daly brings us the inspiring stories of women who are not just serving but leading. This week, we spotlight a leader who is shaping the future of Belize’s maritime defense. Here’s this week’s look On the Bright Side.

 

Meet the Belize Coast Guard, the elite guardians of Belize’s shores. They’re the men and women defending the nation’s maritime borders, intercepting illegal activities, and carrying out life-saving search-and-rescue missions. In the ongoing fight to protect Belize’s waters, they are the steadfast first line of defense, crucial to the country’s safety and security. With a team of five hundred and twenty-six active-duty members, the Coast Guard operates with strict military discipline, demanding both physical and mental toughness. But here’s a standout fact—only fifty-nine of these brave members are women.

 

Sabreena Daly, Reporting
“With a male-dominated history and rigid military traditions, leadership within the Belize Coast Guard has been reserved for a select few. But with barriers being broken, can a woman make her mark within this elite force?”

 

 

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett, Commandant, Belize Coast Guard

“ When you apply for the Belize Coast Guard you’re looked upon as an applicant and not necessarily a gender. We are not filling spaces based on numbers. We’re filling spaces based on merit, on your performance.”

 

Women make up just eleven percent of the force, but they rise to the challenge every day. They shatter biases and prove their worth through their outstanding performance.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“We have women employed in every aspect of the Belize Coast Guard. From logistics to operational duty. We have women driving trucks, driving vessels and employed across the Coast Guard. There are no restrictions whatsoever on where a woman can serve in Ibilis Coast Guard. Once you get in the Coast Guard, we believe in continued career development. The education program in the Belize Coast Guard is a very good one. It’s supported by our Minister of National Defense, where we strived to make opportunities available for people to continue to study. Particularly with Alma Pinelo, she graduated from the Coast Guard Academy perhaps about maybe thirteen or fifteen years ago.”

 

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo is one of just two female lieutenant commanders in the Belize Coast Guard. With over a decade of dedicated service, she’s made history as Belize’s first female Acting Vice Commandant. Her journey is a testament to her unwavering commitment and trailblazing spirit.

 

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo, Acting Vice Commandant

“ Dealing with the whole minority aspect of women in the military has always been something that I have been dealing with my entire career. Knowing how to advocate for those that can’t from the onset. And so I said I had to learn how to be an advocate really early and  realize that, okay, you’re shy, you gotta get over that because somebody else needs you.”

 

Belize faces challenges in attracting women to maritime careers due to cultural norms, a lack of female mentors, and concerns about work-life balance. This issue extends to the military, where female representation remains low. The Belize Coast Guard, which combines both sectors as a maritime defense force, struggles even more with recruitment and retention. Pinelo acknowledges that boosting female participation requires focused outreach, mentorship, and strong institutional support.

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo

“ A big part of the challenge in equality and equity is for the men to recognize that they’re the biggest shareholder in this. Having a proper gender champion, somebody that is a male in senior leadership that you look up to that is able to sing the same song that I’m singing.  Admiral Bennett is that, Lieutenant Commander Francisco is that. All those people that are in my corner and are able to be proud of women that serve under their leadership and that is what is important too.”

As acting vice commandant, Pinelo is second in command. Rear Admiral Elton Bennett talks about the unique dynamics of having a female leader by his side. He shares insights into any differences that come with her support, highlighting the positive impact of diverse leadership.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“I am very happy to have a very capable commander to support myself as the commandant with my duty. So she deputized as a commandant. She has had opportunities to brief the National Security Council. She has been involved with submitting cabinet papers. So she understands the different levels of commanding the Coast Guard because of the different postings that she has held. So she’s very versatile.”

 

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo champions women in the security forces by organizing the annual Wonder Women Competition. This event brings together women from various security forces to tackle a series of tough physical challenges, showcasing their strength and resilience. The competition not only tests their physical strength but also their mental resilience under pressure, all for the coveted title of Wonder Woman in the forces and a chance to earn exciting bonuses. This year, Pinelo is taking it up a notch by competing herself, putting her own skills to the ultimate test.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett Commandant

“ We try to make as many opportunities available for women to, to compete and to participate in regardless of what sporting event it is. Once there is a Coast Guard involvement, we’ll have a female team represented. For example, with La Ruta Maya, we had a male team and a female team, and they did well. So in every aspect, we have women’s participation. Next week, we’re going into a Wonder Woman’s competition. This is, again, one of Alma Pinelo’s projects, where she designed this from concept and is still administering it. And she is participating and competing again this year. She’s really showing solid leadership here, by doing it all.”

 

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo

“It’s been something that the leaving women out aspect of it brought the Wonder Woman competition to life. We had the Best Warrior competition. I think back before I became an officer, Admiral Borland had an Iron Man competition, but it was only for the men. So it was, because the women felt left out, a couple of them came to my office and they said, Ma’am, we want something for us. Something that has nothing to do with the men. We don’t care if it’s the same thing that they do for Best Warrior, but we want to do it for us. So that was like the brainchild for Wonder Woman, and I said let’s come up with something and come up with a name, and we called it that.”

 

Leadership in the security forces is vital for inspiring future generations. Female trailblazers pave the way for more women to step into powerful roles and break down barriers. While Alma Pinelo is celebrated as a pioneer, the goal is to normalize women in these positions. We aim for a future where female leadership is the norm, not the exception.

Rear Admiral Elton Bennett

“ She’s the ultimate role model and I’m happy that we have a senior figure in the Coast Guard, a woman of that stature, where Other young women coming into the services, those who can be influenced to join can have someone to look up to and say this is what is achievable, I can do that, and she’s an excellent representation of that.”

Lieutenant Commander Alma Pinelo

“ We always say you want to break the glass ceiling, and we want to  get to a point where it’s no longer a first of, the first female to do this, the first female to be a pilot Captain or Lieutenant Puerto in BDF. There will be a time that we get there, but until we get there, we need to work, constantly at being able to recruit more women, keep more women, train better women, and then have them in these combat, frontline, tactical positions where they want to feel powerful and be powerful and feel empowered to be captains, coxswains, patrol commanders drone operators and all that.”

 

 Looking on the Bright Side, I’m Sabreena Daly.