KINGSTON, Jamaica (JIS) – Prime Minister Andrew Holness, has hailed the Jamaica Defence Force’s (JDF) commitment to fostering training through its long-standing partnership with the education sector.

He noted that, through this collaboration, the JDF has sought to enhance the opportunities for training and certification for its personnel by means of its various programmes, to ensure they attain and operate at the highest established international standards.

The prime minister was speaking at the official opening of the JDF’s Directorate of Training and Doctrine at the army’s Up Park Camp headquarters in Kingston on Wednesday.

Holness said partnerships have been established with institutions such as HEART Trust/NTA to certify JDF skills to National Council on Technical and Vocational Education and Training (NCTVET) standards.

He said this process has been enhanced with the development of the JDF’s five Centres of Excellence through a partnership with the Government of Canada.

These institutions include the Caribbean Military Aviation School, located at the Norman Manley International Airport in Kingston; Caribbean Military Maritime Training Centre, situated at the JDF Coast Guard base in Port Royal; Technical Training Institute at Up Park Camp; Military Training Wing in Newcastle, St Andrew; and Caribbean Junior Command and Staff College in Moneague, St Ann.

Their training programmes are also utilised by military personnel from the wider Caribbean and Latin America.

“These Centres of Excellence have seen not only the ongoing certification and standardisation of Jamaica Defence Force, regional and international military personnel, but also the police, fire and correctional officers and other civil organisations,” Holness added.

The prime minister, who is also Minister of Defence, said since the JDF’s inception, it has endeavoured to enhance the lives of not only its enlisted members but also their families.

Additionally, he said the JDF has sought to impact the wider society by administering its programmes through schools, youth groups and other organisations.

“The Jamaica Defence Force stands as one of Jamaica’s most robust institutions, not only for its traditions, facilities and structures but also its professionalism and positive impact on the society at large,” Holness said.

Chief of Defence Staff, Major General Rocky Meade, noted that the Centres of Excellence were established “staples” across the Caribbean, pointing out that “there are many of our partner forces that do not promote their personnel unless they have been through our Caribbean Junior Command and Staff College”.

“So, we are making a difference. We are not just saying that we are maintaining international standards. You can see (that) from the evidence of the people who are graduates of our schools… persons who have become chiefs of their forces (including) our own Commissioner of Police (George Quallo). We would like to build on that and ensure that we are playing our part in delivering high training standards locally, regionally and internationally,” he said.

The JDF’s Directorate of Training and Doctrine, which was developed with support from the Canadian Government’s Military Training and Cooperation Programme (MTCP), will further boost the army’s training capabilities by streamlining programmes delivered through the Centres of Excellence.

The facility, which is outfitted with state-of-the-art equipment and a lecture theatre, will provide the underpinning central command and management framework and mechanisms that enhance the Centres’ operations and elevate the quality of their outputs.

Additionally, the Directorate will serve as the receptacle of information, as also standards, across the JDF and, eventually, for regional militaries.

This will eventually lead to the formal process of codifying Doctrine for the JDF that will be apt for dynamic operations and strategies that are employed regionally and globally.