The Barbados Defence Force (BDF) is the name given to the combined armed forces of

Barbados Barbados is an island country in the Lesser Antilles of the West Indies, in the Caribbean region of the Americas, and the most easterly of the Caribbean Islands. It occupies an area of and has a population of about 287,000 (2019 estimate) ...

. The BDF was established 15 August 1979, and has responsibility for the territorial defence and internal security of the island. The headquarters for the Barbados Defence Force is located at St. Ann's Fort, The Garrison,

Saint Michael Michael (; he, מִיכָאֵל, lit=Who is like El od, translit=Mīḵāʾēl; el, Μιχαήλ, translit=Mikhaḗl; la, Michahel; ar, ميخائيل ، مِيكَالَ ، ميكائيل, translit=Mīkāʾīl, Mīkāl, Mīkhāʾīl), also ...

Organization

There are three main components of the BDF: *

The Barbados Regiment The Barbados Regiment is the land force component of the Barbados Defence Force. Its main tasks are the defence of Barbados from external threats, internal security and assisting the local police in maintaining law and order. The regiment also pro ...

– This branch is commanded by the Commanding Officer of the Barbados Regiment Lieutenant Colonel Carlos Lovell and is based at St Anns Fort and Paragon Base. This is the main land force component, and encompasses both regular and reserve units. * Barbados Coast Guard – This branch is commanded by the Commanding Officer of the Barbados Coast Guard Commander Mark Peterson and is based at HMBS Pelican. This is the maritime element, with responsibility for patrolling Barbados' territorial waters as well as drug interdiction and humanitarian and life-saving exercises. It too encompasses both regular and reserve units. * Barbados Air Wing – This branch was formed in 1971, it operated one Beech Queen Air. In 1981 a Cessna 402C was acquired. Since 1985 all aircraft have been retired and the air wing ceased to exist but the BDF is looking to re-establish an air wing.

Other formations

Barbados Cadet Corps

This branch is commanded by the Commandant of the Barbados Cadet Corps Major Peter Powlett. This is the military youth organisation of the Defence Force. Includes Infantry and Sea Cadets. This organisation was started in 1904. The first females joined the cadet corps in the 1970s to 1980s. The Cadet Corps has a pledge and also a song. It started with 3 normal units but today has expanded to 22. These units are grouped into zones. There are also a band, sea cadet, and medical units along with a shooting programme.

BDF Sports Program

The

Barbados Defence Force Sports Program The Barbados Defence Force Sports Program (BDFSP) is the sporting arm of the Barbados Defence Force. BDFSP recruits and trains athletes in five disciplines; football, cricket, table tennis, athletics and boxing. The program provides an opportunity ...

is the sporting arm of the BDF, specializing in the recruitment and training of athletes in five sports; football,

cricket Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of eleven players on a field at the centre of which is a pitch with a wicket at each end, each comprising two bails balanced on three stumps. The batting side scores runs by str ...

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

athletics Athletics may refer to: Sports * Sport of athletics, a collection of sporting events that involve competitive running, jumping, throwing, and walking ** Track and field, a sub-category of the above sport * Athletics (physical culture), competi ...

and

boxing Boxing (also known as "Western boxing" or "pugilism") is a combat sport in which two people, usually wearing protective gloves and other protective equipment such as hand wraps and mouthguards, throw punches at each other for a predetermine ...

Barbados Legion

Similarly to its American, British and Canadian counterparts, the BDF has a voluntary veteran's organization known as the Barbados Legion. It was founded in 1957, nine years prior to independence. Being a registered charity, it receives assistance from the Barbados Poppy League and the national government.

Bands

The Zouave Band is the premier musical unit in the BDF, with the other being the band of the Barbados Cadet Corps. Its national uniformed military counterpart is the Barbados Police Band. It traces its own history back to the Band of 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 ...

, which is considered to be the precursor to most Caribbean military bands formerly under British control. As a result, the band also has a shared lineage with the

Jamaica Military Band Jamaican Military Band (JMB) is one of two military bands in the Jamaican Defence Forces, with the other being The Jamaica Regiment Band. The main task of the band is to play music at all national and military ceremonies. The band's repertoire i ...

. The BCC maintains a marching band known as the National Cadet Band and performs on national occasions with the BCC and the BDF. It is composed of students from public and private schools in the area. They performs in two modes configurations: a

marching band A marching band is a group of musical instrument, instrumental musicians who perform while marching, often for entertainment or competition. Instrumentation typically includes brass instrument, brass, woodwind instrument, woodwind, and percus ...

and a concert band. The band of dates back to the early 1920s when the local cadet corps maintained a fife and drum corps. Between 1950 and 2006, individual school units had drum corps which catered to the activities of the unit and school. In 1973, the Combermere Cadet Band was formed and for 22 years it was the only brass and reef cadet band among other secondary schools on the island. Its last performance was at the Independence Day Parade of 1995 when the National Cadet Band was formed. As part of the

centennial {{other uses, Centennial (disambiguation), Centenary (disambiguation) A centennial, or centenary in British English, is a 100th anniversary or otherwise relates to a century, a period of 100 years. Notable events Notable centennial events at ...

anniversary celebrations of the BCC in 2004, the Band became a permanent full-time unit, performing at an Independence Day Parade that year and again the following year.

Traditions and ceremony

Uniform

In 1856, a French Zouave uniform was adopted and was first paraded in Barbados in 1858. It was subsequently adopted by the

Barbados Defence Force Band The Barbados Defence Force Band (also known as the Zouave Band), is a musical element of the reserve units that make up the Headquarters Company, Barbados Regiment and the Barbados Defence Force. The musicians mainly range in ages between 18 and ...

as a symbolic tribute to the old Band of the

. The uniform is also worn by the

. It consists of a red

fez Fez most often refers to: * Fez (hat), a type of felt hat commonly worn in the Ottoman Empire * Fez, Morocco (or Fes), the second largest city of Morocco Fez or FEZ may also refer to: Media * ''Fez'' (Frank Stella), a 1964 painting by the moder ...

wound together by a white turban and a scarlet sleeveless jacket. It survives as the

full dress uniform Full dress uniform, also known as a ceremonial dress uniform or parade dress uniform, is the most formal type of uniforms used by military, police, fire and other public uniformed services for official parades, ceremonies, and receptions, ...

and is where the band's nickname; the Zouave Band; derives from. It is commonly believed that

Queen Victoria Victoria (Alexandrina Victoria; 24 May 1819 – 22 January 1901) was Queen of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland from 20 June 1837 until her death in 1901. Her reign of 63 years and 216 days was longer than that of any previo ...

saw the uniform worn by the colonial Zouaoua tribe in French Algeria. She was immediately struck with the style of the uniform and 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 Gurk ...

to adopt the uniform for one of its regiments, with the honour being conferred onto the West India Regiment.

Changing of the Sentry

The Changing of the Sentry is an event performed by the BDF that takes place in front of the 1804 Main Guard or Clock Tower. The guardsmen from the BDF are known commonly as The Main Guard. The sentries are drawn by members of the Barbados Legion, other retired personnel, and the

Barbados Regiment The Barbados Regiment is the land force component of the Barbados Defence Force. Its main tasks are the defence of Barbados from external threats, internal security and assisting the local police in maintaining law and order. The regiment also pr ...

. During the ceremony, a

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 ...

provides musical accompaniment. It is performed every Thursday morning at 11:45 am.

Leadership

Commander in Chief

Since 30 November 2021, President

Sandra Mason Dame Sandra Prunella Mason (born 17 January 1949) is a Barbadian politician, lawyer, and diplomat who is serving as the first president of Barbados since 2021. She was previously the eighth and final governor-general of Barbados from 2018 to ...

has been the commander-in-chief of the Barbados Defence Forces. Prior to the transition to a republican system, the monarch of Barbados, Queen Elizabeth II, was head of the Defence Force, with the Governor-General as her viceroy.

List of Chiefs of Staff

Leadership structure

*Chief of Staff - Commodore Errington Shurland *Deputy Chief of Staff - Commander Aquinas Clarke *Force Sergeant Major - Master Chief Petty Officer 1st Class Austin Howell

Gallery

US Navy 100824-N-9643W-390 Capt. Michael Jacobsen, center, Capt. Kurt Hedberg, left, and the commanding officer of the Barbados Defense Force look at old photos.jpg, The former Commander of The Barbados Coast Guard, the late lieutenant Commander Sean Reece, meets two US Chiefs of Staff during a visit to the island USMC-10618-M-OS573-002.jpg, A US Marine participates in a BDF training exercise concerning crowd control US Navy 100817-N-4971L-021 Members of the Royal Barbados Defense Force disassemble a small boat engine during a maintenance management subject matter expert exchange.jpg, Members of the BDF disassemble a boat engine during training exercises with the US Navy PH-MAZ Directie Noordzee (cropped).jpg, A Cessna 402C similar to the one used by the BDF

References

External links

Barbados Defence Force official website
{{Military of the Americas Military of Barbados Defence organisations based in Barbados Military units and formations established in 1979