COLONEL Hardley Lewis yesterday took over as Chief of Staff of the Jamaica Defence Force and pledged to run an army that is professional and disciplined and appealed to his troops to help in the effort to burnish the image of the JDF.

Lewis assumed command of the army from Major General John Simmonds during a glittery military ceremony at the JDF’s headquarters at Up Park Camp in Kingston. Simmonds, who is retiring, became Chief of Staff in November 1998, although he had acted in the post from 1997.

Clearly concerned about the number of recent incidents that dented the public’s perception of the JDF, Lewis warned his troops that there could be no grey areas to their professional conduct and character: the public demanded the best and would offer no praise for what was expected.

Offering the old journalistic adage that a “Dog bites man” is not news but that “Man bites dog” is a headline story, Lewis said there was a parallel between this and the society’s attitude to the JDF.

“Most of the good and positive contributions we make will never reach the headlines because it is expected of us,” he said. “It is not news.

“But let one JDF member on patrol behave unprofessionally in public and we have earned a two-inch headline because it is not expected of us and so should not happen,” he added. “It is news. I sincerely hope that I have made my point!”

It was in that context that he argued that there could be no grey area of conduct or behaviour for members of the JDF.

“I submit to you that in casting judgement on us, the public will view us as either a good defence force or a bad defence force,” he said. “They will view us as either a kind defence force or an oppressive defence force. There will be no grey area or judgemental state between good and bad or kind and oppressive.”

He added: “I am here to remind you that the public expects us to be good and kind. Good deeds carried out effectively by a majority of the members of the force are easily wiped out by the inappropriate actions of a few.”

Lewis, a graduate of Ferncourt High School, joined the JDF in 1971 and completed his initial officer training the following year at the Britannia Royal Naval College in the UK. He was commissioned as a Second Lieutenant in the Coast Guard.

A former commanding officer of the JDF Coast Guard, Lewis, prior to becoming Chief of Staff was Colonel Adjutant Quartermaster of the JDF. Among his overseas appointments was Commanding Officer of the Caribbean Peace Keeping Force in Grenada after the US invasion in 1983 to oust the left-wing government after the split in the New Jewel Movement and the murder of revolutionary prime minister, Maurice Bishop and other officials.

Lewis stressed yesterday that his mission was to create an army of “high quality” which Jamaicans would value and is capable of undertaking a range of operations to protect the national interest and the well-being of citizens.

“We must become a defence force that is characterised by a culture that is cemented in the sure foundation of our core values: integrity, honour, courage, discipline, commitment and loyalty,” he said. “We must seek viable alternatives and effect the necessary changes to the status quo, while recognising and preserving the good from the past in order to build on the solid base of experience.”

Outgoing Chief of Staff John Simmonds told his successor that he had inherited an army “staffed by patriotic men and women who serve their country with pride and their supportive families right beside them”.

Simmonds said that although the challenges presented by criminal elements remained the same as when he took over the reigns from Rear Admiral Peter Brady in November 1998, creative ways must be found to address this nagging problem.

“Back in November 1998 I referred to the bold criminal elements that menace society…Moving forward, I believe this continues to be the real challenge,” he remarked.

Noting the tight financial circumstances that caused the defence budget to become slimmer year by year, Simmonds said the army would have to be become innovative, finding creative ways “of getting the necessary resources for the future”.

“The way forward must be found to equip our force so that the JDF can meet clearly articulated objectives derived from the national security strategy,” he added. “We have a demanding and challenging period ahead of us. How we organise, equip and train our force and how we deal with these challenges will be the measurement of our usefulness to this nation.”