Chief of Defence Staff (Jamaica)

Chief of Defence Staff
Incumbent Rear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman since 21 January 2022
Appointer	Prime Minister
Formation	31 July 1962
First holder	Paul Edwin Crook  [ de ]
Website	Official website

The Chief of Defence Staff is the professional head of the Jamaica Defence Force. They are responsible for the administration and the operational control of the Jamaican military. It is the highest ranked military position in the country.

JDF Chiefs

Chiefs of Staff (1962–2007)

No.	Picture	Chief of Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Crook, Paul Brigadier Paul Edwin Crook  [ de ] (1915–2004)	31 July 1962	1965	2–3 years	[1] [2]
2		Smith, DavidBrigadier David Hartman Smith	1965	1973	7–8 years	[3] [2]
3		Robinson, DunstanBrigadier Dunstan Fitzgerald Robinson (born 1944)	1973	1973	0 years	[2]
4		Green, Rudolph Major General Rudolph Edward George Green	1973	1979	5–6 years	[2]
5		Neish, RobertMajor General Robert James Neish	1979	1990	10–11 years	[2]
6		Brady, Peter Rear Admiral Peter Lorenzo Brady	1990	1998	7–8 years	[2]
7		Simmonds, JohnMajor General John I Simmonds	1998	2002	3–4 years	[2]
8		Lewin, HardleyRear Admiral Hardley M Lewin	2002	2007	4–5 years	[2]
9		Saunders, StewartMajor General Stewart Emerson Saunders	2007	2007	0 years	[2]

In December 2007 the title of Chief of Staff was replaced by Chief of Defence Staff and filled by an incumbent.

Chiefs of Defence Staff (2008–present)

No.	Picture	Chief of Defence Staff	Took office	Left office	Time in office	Ref.
1		Saunders, StewartMajor General Stewart Emerson Saunders	2008	9 October 2010	1–2 years	[2]
2		Anderson, AntonyMajor General Antony Bertram Anderson	9 October 2010	1 December 2016	6 years	[2]
3		Meade, Rocky Lieutenant General Rocky Ricardo Meade (born 1963)	1 December 2016	21 January 2022	8 years	[2] [4] [5]
4		Wemyss Gorman, AntonetteRear Admiral Antonette Wemyss Gorman (born 1972or1973)	21 January 2022	Incumbent	3 years	[6]

References

1. "BRIGADIER PAUL EDWIN CROOK CBE". paradata.org.uk. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
2. "HISTORICAL COMMAND". jdfweb.com. Retrieved 27 January 2020.
3. "HISTORY OF THE RBDF". Royal Bahamas Defence Force. Archived from the original on 16 November 2019. Retrieved 16 November 2019.
4. "Chief of Defence Staff: Major General Rocky R. Meade, OD, JP, PhD, MMAS, MA, BA (Hons), psc". Jamaica Defence Force. Archived from the original on February 18, 2017. Retrieved 2017-02-20. Major General Rocky Meade is Jamaica's 3rd Chief of Defence Staff and 11th Head of the JDF. He assumed the role on December 1, 2016.
5. "Jamaica Observer Limited". Archived from the original on 2019-02-08. Retrieved 2019-02-08.
6. Murphy, Judana (20 January 2022). "'Humbled and privileged' Antonette Wemyss-Gorman now army chief". jamaica-gleaner.com. Retrieved 24 January 2022.