Jamaica Military - 2021

GEOGRAPHICAL NAMES 

Military and security forces

Jamaica Defense Force (JDF): Jamaica Regiment (Ground Forces), Maritime-Air-Cyber Command (includes Coast Guard, Air Wing, Military Intelligence Unit, Special Activities Regiment, and Military Cyber Corps), Support Brigade (logistics, engineers, health service, and military police); Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) (2021)

note - both the JDF and JCF are under the Ministry of National Security

Military expenditures

1.6% of GDP (2019)

1.3% of GDP (2018)

1% of GDP (2017)

0.9% of GDP (2016)

0.9% of GDP (2015)

Military and security service personnel strengths

information varies; approximately 4,000 total active personnel (2021)

Military equipment inventories and acquisitions

the Jamaica Defense Force is lightly armed with a limited inventory featuring mostly older equipment imported from a variety of foreign suppliers, including the UK and US; since 2010, Jamaica has received limited quantities of military equipment from Australia, Austria, the Netherlands, and the US (2020)

Military service age and obligation

no conscription; 18-23 for voluntary military service (17 with parental consent; 18-28 for the reserves); since 2017, the JDF's standard mode of recruitment is to enroll recruits ages 18-23 through the Jamaica National Service Corps (JNSC); in the JNSC, soldiers receive basic military, vocational, and life skills training; upon completion of 1-year of service, soldiers can continue on with JDF or seek other opportunities with law enforcement (2020)

NOTE: The information regarding Jamaica on this page is re-published from the 2021 World Fact Book of the United States Central Intelligence Agency and other sources. No claims are made regarding the accuracy of Jamaica 2021 information contained here. All suggestions for corrections of any errors about Jamaica 2021 should be addressed to the CIA or the source cited on each page.