Jamaica Defence Force
Jamaica Defence Force badge
Founded	31 July 1962; 63 years ago (1962-07-31)
Service branches	The Jamaica Regiment Maritime, Air and Cyber Command Support Brigade Caribbean Military Academy Jamaica National Reserve
Headquarters	Up Park Camp,Kingston, Jamaica
Website	jdfweb.com
Leadership
Commander-in-chief	KingCharles III
Prime Minister	Andrew Holness
Minister of National Security	Horace Chang
Chief of Defence Staff	Vice AdmiralAntonette Wemyss Gorman
Personnel
Military age	16 years of age for selection process, 17 years of age is actual serving age (as of 2007)
Active personnel	5,950[1]
Reserve personnel	2,580[1]
Expenditure
Budget	$238 million[1]
Related articles
Ranks	Military ranks of Jamaica

TheJamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military ofJamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit.^[2] The JDF is based upon the British military model, with similar organisation, training, weapons and traditions. Once chosen, officer candidates are sent to one of several British or Canadian basic officer courses depending upon the arm of service. Enlisted soldiers are given basic training at JDF Training Depot Newcastle. As in the British model, NCOs are given several levels of professional training as they rise up the ranks. Additional military schools are available for speciality training in Canada, the United Kingdom, and the United States.

The JDF is directly descended from theWest India Regiments formed during the period ofBritish rule. The regiments were used extensively by the British to garrison theColony of Jamaica andpossessions in the West Indies. Other units in the JDF heritage tree include the early colonial Jamaica Militia, the Kingston Infantry Volunteers ofWWI and reorganised into the Jamaican Infantry Volunteers inWWII. The West India Regiments were reformed in 1958 as part of theWest Indies Federation. The dissolution of the Federation resulted in the establishment of the JDF.

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) comprises aninfantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The infantry regiment contains the 1st, 2nd and 3rd (National Reserve) battalions. The JDF Air Wing is divided into three flight units, a training unit, a support unit and the JDF Air Wing (National Reserve). The Coast Guard element is divided between seagoing crews and support crews. It conducts maritime safety and maritime law enforcement as well as defence-related operations. The support battalion contains a Military Police platoon as well as vehicle, armourers and supply units. The 1st Engineer Regiment provides military engineering support to the JDF. The Headquarters JDF contains the JDF commander, command staff as well as intelligence, judge advocate office, administrative and procurement sections.

On 5 January 1978, the JDF carried out a covert operation that came to be known as theGreen Bay Massacre, in which fiveJamaica Labour Party (JLF) supporters were shot dead after being lured to a militaryshooting range. A specially selected team ofsnipers led byMajor Ian Robinson laid an ambush outside the range while members of the JDF'sMilitary Intelligence Unit (MIU) drove a group of JLF supporters towards them in an army ambulance. After the supporters exited the ambulance, an MIU soldier killed one member while the sniper team opened fire on the rest. Four supporters were killed and the remainder fled into nearby bushes.^[3]

In recent years the JDF has been called upon to assist the nation's police, theJamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in fighting drug smuggling and a rising crime rate which includes one of the highest murder rates in the world.^{[citation needed]} JDF units actively conduct armed patrols with the JCF in high-crime areas and known gang neighbourhoods.

In 2024 the JDF, alongside the JCF deployed personnel as part of the Kenyan-ledMultinational Security Support Mission in Haiti.^[4]

• Headquarters, Jamaica Defence Force (HQ JDF) - divided into the Operations Branch and Adjutant Quartermaster's Branch, this is the main command of the entire JDF.
• The Jamaica Regiment - The Jamaica Regiment is the operationalization of a terrestrial and combat focused Regular Force formation with an overarching operational headquarters in command of five battalions; the First, Second, Fourth and Fifth Battalions the Jamaica Regiment (1, 2, 4, 5 JR) and the Combat Support Battalion (Cbt Sp Bn).
• The Support Brigade (Sp Bde) - Regular Force formation that provides both combat support and service support functions with an overarching operational headquarters for five units:

  

  • Support and Services Battalion
  • 1 Engineer Regiment (JDF)
  • Health Services Corps
  • Corps of Military Police
• The Maritime, Air and Cyber Command (MACC) - The Maritime, Air and Cyber Command (MACC) is a multi-domain focused Regular Force formation with an operational headquarters in command of six units; the First and Second Districts Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard (1st and 2nd Dist JDF CG), the Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing (JDF AW), the Military Intelligence Unit (MIU), the Special Activities Regiment (SPEAR), Counter Terrorism Operations Group (CTOG)^[5] and the Military Cyber Corps (MCC).^[6]
• Caribbean Military Academy (CMA) - The Caribbean Military Academy (CMA) was established on 1 May 2019 to function as a Military University, becoming the first of its kind in the Caribbean.
• The Jamaica National Reserve (JNR) - The Jamaica National Reserve (JNR) is a multi-domain focused Reserve Force formation that has been expanded to include a headquarters element in command of four units; the Third, Sixth and Ninth Battalions the Jamaica Regiment (3, 6 and 9 JR (NR)) in addition to the Support Battalion (National Reserve) (Sp Bn (NR).

The JDF also supports twomilitary bands:

• Jamaica Military Band - this is the band that is descended from the band of theWest India Regiment, and was formed in February 1927. It is one of only two units in the world (the other being the Band of theBarbados Regiment) that wears the uniform of thezouaves.^[7][8]
• Jamaica Regiment Band - this band was originally formed as the Band of the West India Regiment formed in 1959 as the military force of theWest Indies Federation. With the Federation's break up and the independence of Jamaica, it became the Band of the 1st Battalion, Jamaica Regiment. It gained its current name with the formation of the 2nd Battalion in 1979.^[9]

Previous aircraft operated by the JDF Air Wing consisted of theAero Commander 500 family,BN-2 Islander,Beechcraft Duke,Beechcraft King Air,Cessna Skymaster,Cessna 185 Skywagon,Cessna 210,DHC-6 Twin Otter,Eurocopter AS355 Écureuil 2,Bell UH-1 Iroquois,Bell 47G,Bell 212,Bell 204/205, and theBell 222UT helicopter.^[17][18][19]

On July 1, 2009, a Jamaica Defence Force Air Wing Bell 412EP helicopter was on its way back to Up Park Camp from a training mission when it began experiencing mechanical issues. The helicopter crashed into the ground at Up Park Camp, injuring the captain, his co-pilot and a crew member.^[20]

A year after the JDF was formed in 1962, a naval arm, the Jamaica Sea Squadron was added. The squadron's initial vessels were three 63 ft wooden World War II torpedo recovery boats provided by theUnited States. They were commissioned "Her Majesty's Jamaican Ship" HMJSYoruba (P1), HMJSCoromante (P2) and HMJSMandingo (P3). A training team from theRoyal Navy assisted with the unit's early development. In 1966 they changed names from the Jamaica Sea Squadron to the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard.^[21] JDF Coast Guard Headquarters "HMJS Cagway" located at Port Royal, Kingston. The Coast Guard had 4 additional stations: Discovery Bay, Black River, Pedro Cays, and Port Antonio.^[22]

As of 2016, the Jamaica Defence Force Coast Guard was staffed by 241 individuals.^[2]

The rank insignia for commissioned officers for the army and Coast Guard respectively.

Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers
Jamaican Army[28] v t e
					Lieutenant general		Major general		Brigadier		Colonel		Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		Lieutenant			Second lieutenant
Jamaican Coast Guard[28] v t e
					Vice admiral		Rear admiral		Commodore		Captain		Commander		Lieutenant commander		Lieutenant		Lieutenant (junior grade)			Sub-lieutenant
Jamaican Air Wing v t e
													Lieutenant colonel		Major		Captain		First lieutenant			Second lieutenant
Rank group	General / flag officers										Senior officers						Junior officers

The rank insignia for enlisted personnel for the army and Coast Guard respectively.

Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted
Jamaican Army[28] v t e																													No insignia
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Staff sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal		Private (or equivalent)
Jamaican Coast Guard[28] v t e																																			No insignia
	Master chief petty officer 1						Master chief petty officer		Chief petty officer		Petty officer												Leading seaman						Able seaman						Ordinary seaman
Jamaican Air Wing v t e																													No insignia
	Warrant officer class 1						Warrant officer class 2		Staff sergeant		Sergeant												Corporal				Lance corporal		Private (or equivalent)
Rank group	Senior NCOs																						Junior NCOs						Enlisted

• Green Bay Massacre

Wikimedia Commons has media related toMilitary of Jamaica.

• Jamaica Defence Force

• Military of Jamaica

• All articles with bare URLs for citations
• Articles with bare URLs for citations from June 2025
• Articles with PDF format bare URLs for citations
• CS1: unfit URL
• Articles with short description
• Short description is different from Wikidata
• Wikipedia indefinitely semi-protected pages
• All articles with unsourced statements
• Articles with unsourced statements from September 2017
• Commons category link is on Wikidata
• Official website different in Wikidata and Wikipedia