JAMAICA and Britain have agreed to forge closer military ties following an unpublicised visit to the island by General Sir Nick Carter, chief of the defence staff (CDS) for the United Kingdom on Wednesday.

Carter flew into the island late Wednesday without fanfare at the invitation of Jamaica’s Chief of Defence Staff Lieutenant General Rocky Meade and left Thursday evening, just as silently, after a visit crammed with several activities.

British High Commissioner to Jamaica Asif Ahmad on Thursday confirmed the visit, which he said was the first to the island by the head of the UK military in living memory.

“He came here because the invitation came from Rocky Meade, and no one from Jamaican defence side, or our side, can actually remember when is the last time the head of the British military came to Jamaica,” said Ahmad.

“Now just pause for a minute and say, with all the things that are going on in the world and occupying the British military right now, including possible contingency planning for a disruptive Brexit, which is not going to happen; it is significant that the head of the British military would leave his country and go off somewhere.

“Of all the places in the world that you would think that he would be going to, I’m not sure that even a Jamaican would put Jamaica on the list, on the eve of Brexit,” added Ahmad.

He argued that the 24-hour visit to the island by Carter signalled that the military traditions and the comfort between Jamaica and the UK remain strong.

According to Ahamd, as part of their discussions the two military bosses discussed the possibility of Jamaica setting up an institution similar to The Royal Military Academy Sandhurst, which is where all officers in the British army are trained to take on the responsibility of leading their soldiers.

Several officers in the Jamaica Defence Force, and officers from military units around the world, are also trained at Sandhurst.

“The one agreement that they have sort of almost pencilled, but not inked, both the CDS have shaken hands, is that Jamaica will develop its own Sandhurst Academy, and we will support it. It will become a centre of excellence not just for Jamaica, but for anybody else who will care to join.

“I can see people from West Africa coming here as they have done for some courses,” said Ahmad as he underscored that this was only one of the benefits from the meeting.

Ahmad said post natural disaster cooperation for countries in the region was also discussed, while the UK indicated its concerns about Jamaica’s vulnerability to cybercrimes.

“Whether it is election interference, whether it is your banking system, whether it is compromising your telecommunications, and I am not talking about science fiction, these are daily things that we are facing, and we want Jamaica, and our like-minded friends, to be given the assurance that this is a space that we can help,” said Ahmad.

The British high commissioner said the two military leaders also discussed equipment that Jamaica would want to buy from the UK and what could be donated.

“One of the agreements we reached was that we would find a way of having a Caribbean/UK defence composition to make this much more of a reality. So those are just some of the headline things that the chief of defence staff has left Jamaica with, and these are not just warm words,” said Ahma, as he disclosed that Jamaica’s chief of defence staff is to head to the UK shortly to continue the discussions.