IWD 2022: Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman – A life characterised by committed service to Jamaica
HOW is chief of defence staff, Jamaica Defence Force, Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman leading the charge and driving change for a better Jamaica and a better world?
For the past three decades, Wemyss Gorman’s life has been characterised by her committed service to Jamaica. Her service in the Coast Guard of the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) signalled a change of perspective, policy and precedence of having women serve in combatant roles in the military. This not only empowered other women in the JDF to serve in similar combatant roles, but also influenced the breaking of the bias as it relates to gender roles within military forces throughout the Caribbean region.
Under her command, education and training is a priority for the proficiency of service men and women. As a result, under her leadership of the Coast Guard, the Caribbean Maritime Military Training Centre (CMMTC) was established. She utilised her experience and knowledge to develop the core courses of the CMMTC which resulted in the training of hundreds of military personnel throughout the region in the professional effectiveness of naval officers as they execute their duties.
As chief of defence staff, she has vocalised her goal to transform the culture of violence in Jamaica through targeted intervention of the youth through the JDF’s Jamaica National Service Corps programme. Though a long-term goal, the aim is to engage, train and transform young minds into becoming well thinking, holistically functional law-abiding citizens with the requisite skills and disposition to positively impact their communities, thus contributing to nation-building.
Her expertise as a naval officer has also influenced her to continue to maximise resources in protection of the nation’s blue economy. Jamaica’s maritime space is 25 times the size of the country and a wide cross section of citizens depend on it for the sustenance of their livelihoods in the tourism, shipping, commercial fishing and mining industries. She has committed to doing her part to ensure the economic growth and viability of Jamaica to be able to compete globally through the protection of the local blue economy.
As the force’s lead on all bilateral partnerships with major defence organisations in the United States of America, the United Kingdom and Canada, she ensures Jamaican representation in the decision-making process of international security policies. However, her passion and commitment converges through her strategic focus on ensuring that the JDF is fit for purpose and capable to effectively confront current and future threats to Jamaica’s security.
