Seven Jamaican defence and security officers have graduated from the William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies at the National Defense University in Washington, DC, after completing a two-week Caribbean Security and Defence Course.
The Jamaican cohort included five members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) and two from the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF). They were among 52 participants representing Belize, Brazil, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Grenada, Guatemala, Guyana, Haiti, Jamaica, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, and the United States.
Representatives from the CARICOM Implementation Agency for Crime and Security and the Regional Security System (RSS) also participated.
Participants were exposed to key areas including maritime and border security, cyber domain and emerging technologies, narcotics and illicit arms trafficking, mega-event security, and inter-agency and international cooperation.
In providing an overview during the graduation ceremony, Peter Garvin noted that the course highlighted several concepts and strategies important for the region.
These included improved integration, coordination, and cooperation across areas such as intelligence sharing, technological advancement, and the effective coordination of resources to achieve both collective and individual goals.
“Most importantly, the course facilitated networking among participants from several other countries, which will enable growth, solidarity, and opportunities to tackle organised crime and terrorism,” Garvin said.
Assistant Commissioner of Police Gary McKenzie, one of the graduates, said the programme provided a valuable platform for learning and collaboration.
“The course served as another excellent platform to learn, share perspectives and consider best practices as we strengthen opportunities to cooperate and collaborate on defence and security in our region,” McKenzie said.
He added that the shared perspectives from defence and security professionals across the Western Hemisphere were particularly beneficial.
“As transnational organised networks become more interconnected and adaptive, so should our responses in the region,” he said.
The Jamaican delegation included Dr. McKenzie, Assistant Commissioner Calvin Allen, Senior Superintendent Christopher Brown, Superintendent Patrae Rowe, Assistant Security Attaché at the Embassy of Jamaica Ewon Simms, and JDF officers Lieutenant Colonel Zavian Phipps and Akeen James-Haughton.
Jamaica’s Ambassador to the United States, Antony Anderson, addressed participants during the course and also attended the graduation ceremony.
The Jamaican delegation later paid a courtesy call on Ambassador Anderson at the Embassy of Jamaica, where they participated in a networking session with United States Government officials, security and military attachés, and officers from across Latin America and the Caribbean.
The William J. Perry Center for Hemispheric Defense Studies supports a community of security and defence professionals across the Americas, fostering collaborative approaches to shared opportunities and challenges. Since its establishment in 1997, the Center has engaged more than 30,000 participants through more than 1,700 forums.
