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Lieutenant General Joseph Henry Smith (Rtd), Minister of Defence on Monday said government would live up to its constitutional responsibility to equip and maintain the Ghana Armed Forces to effectively defend the country. He said the recent oil find, drug trafficking and unregulated fishing practices made it imperative for Ghana to have a formidable Navy to police and control the country's maritime domain. Gen. Smith, who was speaking at the 15th anniversary celebration of Ghana Navy in Accra, gave the assurance when the Chief of Naval Staff, Rear Admiral Mathew Quarshie painted a gloomy picture about the present state of equipment for the Navy. He commended the current and retired officers and men of the Navy for their dedication to duty and urged them to remain focused and loyal to the state in the performance of their duties. Real Admiral Quarshie said a number of the naval ships had broken down while the old ones were in deplorable state. He said most of the equipment on board the ships were defective, while those with three engines were compelled to operate with one engine due to lack of spare parts. The Chief of the Naval Staff also talked about lack of barracks for the personnel. Real Admiral Quarshie said despite the huge potential that the maritime domain held for national development, the desired attention had not been paid to activities at sea until recently when drug trafficking, pair trawling and oil discovery issues became topical. He called for urgent actions to equip the Navy. He also called on stakeholders in the maritime industry to co-operate with the Navy to ensure security of the Ghanaian waters. Ghana Navy was established in July 1959 to project Ghana's maritime interest and jealously protect and secure the maritime domain, aimed at stocktaking, introspection and strategizing for future engagements. The grand celebration of the anniversary will take place in October.