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of the Chief of Staff, Jamaica
Defence Force.

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of other senior staff officers on
the main biography page.

Click here to read the biography of HQ JDF Int. Unit’s Regimental Sergeant Major.

Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force (HQ JDF)

 

Liaison with other forces:  Chief of Staff meets with members of US Southern Command.

Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force (HQ JDF) HQ JDF is based at Up Park Camp in Kingston from where the entire Jamaica Defence Force is commanded. HQ JDF employs a modification of the old British Branch Primacy Staff System whereby the Headquarters is divided into two staff branches, namely the Operations Branch and the Adjutant Quartermaster Branch.

The Operations staff is responsible for operational requirements, staff duties, exercise planning, training, intelligence, and security.

Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force

The Adjutant Quartermaster staff is responsible for personnel administration including manning, discipline and legal matters, logistics (including quartering), civil and military liaison and procurement.

The Defence Adviser, is also a staff officer in the Headquarters, although he is located at the Jamaican High Commission in London. He is responsible for all administrative matters for JDF personnel overseas in the United Kingdom and Canada.

Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force Intelligence Unit

MOTTO: IPSO FACTO

History

A counter subversion component of the JDF, the Military Counter Intelligence Unit (MCIU) was established in 1976 as a part of the Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force. It was was formed primarily to develop intelligence in support of JDF operational units which at that time were heavily involved in assisting the civil police in internal security.

A major, who was appointed Staff Officer Intelligence, commanded this unit and reported directly to the Chief of Staff.

In 1983, the MCIU was renamed ‘Headquarters Jamaica Defence Force Intelligence Unit ( HQ JDF Int Unit)’. It was also given full Unit status under command of a lieutenant colonel.

Mission

The mission of the HQ JDF Int Unit is to provide timely accurate intelligence to meet JDF and national needs. To achieve this, the unit functions in a multiplicity of intelligence roles:

• Operational;
• Security;
• Protective security;
• Signals
• Domestic industrial relations; and
• Regional political, economic and security

Roles

The HQ JDF Int Unit collects, collates and disseminates intelligence in the following areas to the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and the JDF where applicable:

Combat Intelligence – related to the operations of the JDF’s infantry units deployed on both internal security and conventional operations, locally and overseas.

Narcotics Intelligence – on narcotics trends in Jamaica and monitoring of drug trafficking activities within Jamaica and to foreign destinations.

Criminal Intelligence – on Jamaican crime trends, which involves the monitoring and assessment of criminal activities in Jamaica.

Industrial Intelligence – in the industrial relations area with emphasis on the essential services (electricity, water, etc).

Security Intelligence – to facilitate the assessment of threats and risks to the JDF and guide implementation of protective security measures.