On behalf of the Government of Rwanda and on my own behalf and my family, I wish all of you officers, men and women of our Armed Forces and your families, a Happy Christmas and a prosperous New Year, 2014.The ending year has been yet another time of distinguished service to the people of Rwanda and our Nation’s interests. Each of you effectively contributed to delivering the peace and safety Rwandans, and foreign guests have continued to enjoy within our national borders.The people of Rwanda are grateful for your selfless service, sacrifices and continued commitment.The Government and leadership of Rwanda, at the various levels, commend you for successfully achieving your core mission; securing our homeland and deterring hostile activities against our nation.Your contribution to socio-economic activities through various initiatives such as ‘Army Week’ and Gender-Based Violence programmes provided a meaningful input towards achieving our national development goals.Beyond our national borders, I want to commend you for your consistent record of professionalism, discipline and resilience in addressing regional and global security challenges in line with our Nation’s principles, interests and priorities.   Many of you are not able to be with your families and friends during this festive season. Yet, thanks to your selfless service, many vulnerable families are able to survive violence and persecution. It is that commitment which makes Rwanda’s Defence and Police Forces reliable partners for global peace and security.Most importantly; serving just causes far from home, saving other people’s lives beyond our borders, remind us who we are as a people. It enshrines the lessons we learned from our own history, and reinforces our sense of purpose and direction.Let me take this moment to remember our departed comrades who passed away while in the service of our nation both at home and in missions abroad in 2013. Their sacrifices were not in vain; they will be remembered and emulated by new generations of  patriots.As we begin a New Year, I urge you all to maintain and improve the standards of professional conduct, discipline and patriotism you have demonstrated in 2013.  Above all, I ask you to uphold our most important attribute; the Rwandan Spirit.I want you to preserve the core values that enabled us achieve success in 2013 and previous years; selflessness, honour, resilience and humility among others.The year 2014 will bring new promises and challenges. We will undoubtedly be confronted with more threats and hardships, but I am confident that with our spirit and experience, and resilience, we will prevail. Not only shall we survive those challenges; working together with patriotism and commitment, we shall also achieve greater successes for Rwanda and the larger international community.