The Jamaica Regiment is the main formation of land troops in the

Jamaica Defence Force The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) is the combined military of Jamaica, consisting of an infantry Regiment and Reserve Corps, an Air Wing, a Coast Guard fleet and a supporting Engineering Unit. The JDF is based upon the British military model, with ...

. It is a non- mechanised

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mari ...

regiment consisting of five battalions, three regular infantry battalions, one territorial infantry battalion, and a Combat Support Battalion. A fifth infantry battalion (5 JR) is starting to be formed. The

regiment A regiment is a military unit. Its role and size varies markedly, depending on the country, service and/or a specialisation. In Medieval Europe, the term "regiment" denoted any large body of front-line soldiers, recruited or conscripte ...

has two main operational missions: *The territorial defence of

Jamaica Jamaica (; ) is an island country situated in the Caribbean Sea. Spanning in area, it is the third-largest island of the Greater Antilles and the Caribbean (after Cuba and Hispaniola). Jamaica lies about south of Cuba, and west of Hispanio ...

. *Assisting the

Jamaica Constabulary Force The Jamaica Constabulary Force (JCF) is the official police force of Jamaica. Role The force is the arm of the Ministry which is responsible for the maintenance of law and order, the prevention and detection of crime, the investigation of all ...

with local law enforcement. It also has been known to provide

public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...

in for the government and the capital on behalf of the JDF. The regiment has two main camps. Traditionally, the two regular battalions (1 JR and 2 JR) rotated annually between them. This approach is evolving towards a geographic deployment in three regions. The battalion at

Up Park Camp Up-Park Camp (often Up Park Camp) was the headquarters of the British Army in Jamaica from the late 18th century to independence in 1962. From that date, it has been the headquarters of the Jamaica Defence Force. It is located in the heart ...

in Kingston has a commitment to assisting the local

police The police are a Law enforcement organization, constituted body of Law enforcement officer, persons empowered by a State (polity), state, with the aim to law enforcement, enforce the law, to ensure the safety, health and possessions of citize ...

in maintaining law and order, while the battalion at Moneague Training Camp in Moneague, St Ann is mainly committed to anti-drug patrols. In 2018 the Jamaican government decided to have an enhanced, regional structure for the Jamaica Regiment. Thus, it decided to add a third regular battalion (4 JR) to support the police in Jamaica's central region. In addition, the regiment is one of the main units that supplies

United Nations The United Nations (UN) is an intergovernmental organization whose stated purposes are to maintain international peace and security, develop friendly relations among nations, achieve international cooperation, and be a centre for harmonizi ...

peacekeeping troops for situations in the

Caribbean The Caribbean (, ) ( es, El Caribe; french: la Caraïbe; ht, Karayib; nl, De Caraïben) is a region of the Americas that consists of the Caribbean Sea, its islands (some surrounded by the Caribbean Sea and some bordering both the Caribbean S ...

region.

History

The Jamaica Regiment was initially formed in 1954 as a unit on the

British Army The British Army is the principal land warfare force of the United Kingdom, a part of the British Armed Forces along with the Royal Navy and the Royal Air Force. , the British Army comprises 79,380 regular full-time personnel, 4,090 Gur ...

colonial list. In 1958, the

Federation of the West Indies A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governing ...

was founded, and the regiment passed from the control of the

War Office The War Office was a department of the British Government responsible for the administration of the British Army between 1857 and 1964, when its functions were transferred to the new Ministry of Defence (MoD). This article contains text from t ...

to the new Federation government, where it, and the other infantry regiments of the various Caribbean islands, were disbanded and reorganised into the

West India Regiment The West India Regiments (WIR) were infantry units of the British Army recruited from and normally stationed in the British colonies of the Caribbean between 1795 and 1927. In 1888 the two West India Regiments then in existence were reduced t ...

. This lasted only two years, before this was disbanded and each of the individual islands regained control over their own armies. Initially, the regiment consisted of the 1st Battalion and the 3rd Battalion (National Reserve); however, the increasing array of tasks that the regiment was called upon to perform led to it being stretched. So, in 1979, 3 companies and part of the HQ of the 1st Battalion were split and used to form the 2nd Battalion; this mirrored the form and functions of the 1st Battalion. In 1999, the 2nd Battalion had the honour of mounting the guard at

Buckingham Palace Buckingham Palace () is a London royal residence and the administrative headquarters of the monarch of the United Kingdom. Located in the City of Westminster, the palace is often at the centre of state occasions and royal hospitality. It h ...

. The 1st Battalion undertook this during a visit to the United Kingdom in July and August 2007. In 1983, the regiment participated in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territo ...

-led

invasion of Grenada The United States invasion of Grenada began at dawn on 25 October 1983. The United States and a coalition of six Caribbean nations invaded the island nation of Grenada, north of Venezuela. Codenamed Operation Urgent Fury by the U.S. military, ...

. In 2019 the Jamaican government announced that the Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) would be expanded. As a result of this growth the Jamaica Regiment will fulfill two functions. Firstly, it will continue as a "British-style" infantry regiment that is the spiritual home and repository of customs and traditions for a number of battalions that do not necessarily serve together operationally. Secondly, it will act as a brigade-level formation for four infantry battalions of the regiment as well as a combat support battalion. At the end of the planned growth, the Jamaica Regiment will consist of four regular infantry battalions (1st, 2nd, 4th, and 5th), a Combat Support Battalion, and three reserve infantry battalions (3rd, 6th, and 9th).

Organization

Currently, the regiment consists of the following regular/reserve units: *1st Battalion -

Light Infantry Light infantry refers to certain types of lightly equipped infantry throughout history. They have a more mobile or fluid function than other types of infantry, such as heavy infantry or line infantry. Historically, light infantry often fought ...

*2nd Battalion -

*3rd Battalion (reserve) -

*4th Battalion -

Formed in 2018 to provide a battalion in Jamaica's central region. It achieved operational capability on 1 June 2019, in part by taking over assets from the Combat Support Battalion) *5th Battalion (forming) -

*Combat Support Battalionhttps://www.jdfweb.com/combat-support-battalion-duties **Which now includes The Jamaica Regiment Band (JRB) -

Public duties Public duties are performed by military personnel, and usually have a ceremonial or historic significance rather than an overtly operational role. Armenia Since September 2018, the Honour Guard Battalion of the Ministry of Defense of Armenia has ...

Corps of Drums A Corps of Drums, also sometimes known as a Fife and Drum Corps, Fifes and Drums or simply Drums is a unit of several national armies. Drummers were originally established in European armies to act as signallers. The major historical distin ...

(part of 1st and 3rd Battalions)

Music

The regimental march of the Jamaica Regiment is the ''JDF March''. However, each of the regiment's three battalions has its own march: *1st Battalion – ''So Early In The Morning'' *2nd Battalion – ''2nd Battalion West India Regiment'' (''

Königgrätzer Marsch The Königgrätz March ( AM II, 134 (AM II, 195)), also known as Der Königgrätzer or Der Königgrätzer Marsch, is one of the most famous German military marches, composed in 1866 by Johann Gottfried Piefke in commemoration of the Battle of K� ...

'')

Alliances

* — The Mercian Regiment * —

The Royal Canadian Regiment The Royal Canadian Regiment (RCR) is an infantry regiment of the Canadian Army. The regiment consists of four battalions, three in the Regular Force and one in the primary reserve. The RCR is ranked 1st in the order of precedence amongst Canadian A ...

Former members

* Darren Jordon - Former BBC newsreader *

Clive Hunt Clive Hunt (born 31 May 1952) is a Jamaican reggae multi-instrumentist, arranger, composer and producer. Biography Hunt was born in Linstead, St. Catherine, Jamaica. He learned the trumpet while at Stony Hill Approved school, and joined the ...

- Reggae

record producer A record producer is a recording project's creative and technical leader, commanding studio time and coaching artists, and in popular genres typically creates the song's very sound and structure. Virgil Moorefield"Introduction" ''The Producer as ...

and former member of the regimental bandMoskowitz, David (2006) ''Caribbean Popular Music: an Encyclopedia of Reggae, Mento, Ska, Rock Steady, and Dance Hall'', Greenwood Press, , p.144Larkin, Colin (1998) ''The Virgin Encyclopedia of Reggae'', Virgin Books, , p.131

References

External links

The 1st Battalion The Jamaica RegimentThe 2nd Battalion The Jamaica RegimentThe 3rd Battalion The Jamaica RegimentThe 4th Battalion The Jamaica RegimentThe Combat Support Battalion
{{DEFAULTSORT:Jamaica Regiment Regiments of Jamaica Military units and formations established in 1954 1954 establishments in Jamaica Guards of honour