Jamaica Defence Force

West Indian soldiers, c. 1861

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

The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) comprises an infantry 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 the Green Bay Massacre, in which five Jamaica Labour Party (JLF) supporters were shot dead after being lured to a military shooting range. A specially selected team of snipers led by Major Ian Robinson laid an ambush outside the range while members of the JDF's Military 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, the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF), in fighting drug smuggling and a rising crime rate which includes one of the highest murder rates in the world. JDF units actively conduct armed patrols with the JCF in high-crime areas and known gang neighbourhoods. There has been vocal controversy as well as support of this JDF role. In early 2005, an opposition leader, Edward Seaga, called for the merger of the JDF and JCF. This move did not garner support in either organisation nor among the majority of citizens.

• 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:
  

  A Jamaica Defence Force soldier (left) with a Sergeant of the Royal Bermuda Regiment in the Blue Mountains in 1996
  • 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) and the Military Cyber Corps (MCC).
• 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).

Jamaican naval ensign

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 the United States. They were commissioned “Her Majesty’s Jamaican Ship” HMJS Yoruba (P1), HMJS Coromante (P2) and HMJS Mandingo (P3). A training team from the Royal 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.[18]

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

Equipment

Jamaican Coast Guard patrol vessels

Vessel	Origin	Type	In service	Notes
HMJS Nanny of the Maroons	Netherlands	Fast Crew Supplier	1[19]	Honour-class
HMJS Cornwall	Netherlands	Patrol Vessel	1[20]	County-class
HMJS Middlesex	Netherlands	Patrol Vessel	1[20]	County-class
HMJS Fort Charles	United States	Patrol Boat	1	Fort-class
HMJS Paul Bogle	United States	Patrol Boat	1	Hero-class
Boston Whaler	United States	Interceptor	2[21]	37 foot Justice model

• Green Bay Massacre

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• Jamaica Defence Force