At home, in the execution of its primary roles, the Jamaica Defence Force can be likened unto an insurance policy that the policyholder can ill afford to lose. In this instance the policyholder is the Jamaican people, the majority of whom will agree that the insurance premium, their tax dollar, is well spent.

In the same way that non-military organizations must re-examine their processes from time to time, the Jamaica Defence Force must now undertake this re-examination in order to determine if we are still marching in step with the rest of the country. For this to materialize there must first be clear guidelines as to where the nation is going and projections for when it will get there. The policy makers must then determine if the roles and day to day functions of the Jamaica Defence Force are in congruence with the strategies being undertaken by government in its drive to achieve growth and development.

Like the British Army, the Jamaica Defence Force must now see itself as the largest trainer of skilled candidates for the local job market. This will only come about with significant expenditure on training in areas that are not strictly military. The military culture which has always been one of command and control must now be tempered with a culture of empowerment. In the dictum of Konosuke Matsushita, "the relationship of leaders and followers, of managers and managed, must be replaced by one where there is a realization that the survival of the organization depends on the day-to-day mobilization of every ounce of intelligence available."

Hence, the contribution of every individual in the organization must be recognized. Only then can we lay claim to empowerment and team-work. In making his or her contribution, the individual must revisit the notion of organisation before self and country before organization.