Dear Editor,

Many shy away from certain issues because they’re afraid of being called names. I am one who says what people are afraid to say. I was going to leave this issue alone because, truth be told, Jamaica’s military will never go to war with any nation.

I would like to congratulate Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman on her new role in the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). According to the JDF, the new chief of defence staff is the second female to lead a national army. But I would like to know who’s the first and if that country is known to fight wars.

Worldwide, most armies have become political because, understandably, governments want to have a hand in who leads their army so they will choose people not only based on qualifications, but also loyalty to the people and sometimes to an Administration. No Government wants an army to take over a country.

The defence board selects a chief of staff. Chairman of that board is always the prime minister, who in this case is allowed to appoint a minister from his Cabinet to the defence board. Also, the permanent secretary for the defence portfolio is also a member of that board. The defence board, I believe, is in charge of promotions in the JDF.

What I am trying to say is that a prime minister plays a major role in picking a chief of staff. What I would like to know is: How many people were interviewed for the job and was the best person selected?

We don’t want to know who created this history and that history. We want to know if our chief of staff has ever been on the battlefield.

I love women too much to say anything against them. I am not sexist, and I don’t believe men should be the only ones on the battlefield facing bullets. But the reality is that over 85 per cent of our military comprises men because most armies worldwide tend to be male-dominated.

However, I don’t believe that the army should be used for social experiments and ought not to be made soft through feminisation. It would be instructive to hear the views of male soldiers on this issue.

Which criminal in Jamaica is going to take the JDF seriously when they’ve joined the ‘woke’ and soft?

On the JDF’s website I see that they don’t have any generals, only one rear admiral, who is Antonette Wemyss Gorman, and they have a few brigadiers. Were any of these brigadiers interviewed for the job? 

Teddylee Gray

Ocho Rios, St Ann

teddylee.gray@gmail.com